On November 8th, or before then if you vote-by-mail, Nebraskans who have a felony conviction and waited for two years will be able to vote.
But it hasn’t always been that way.
Steve Pochop was released from prison in 1986 and, according to an Omaha World Herald article, “found God” and started a family with his wife. In 2005, he shared his story in support of a bill in the Nebraska Legislature that would restore voting rights for people with a felony conviction.
The introducer of the bill, Sen. DiAnna Shimeck, is a former ACLU of Nebraska Executive Director.
The Omaha World Herald quotes Pastor Lauren Ekdahl of Trinity United Methodist Church in Lincoln as saying "It's ridiculous to tell people you're returning to society, you've paid your penalty and been rehabilitated: but you can't vote."
At the time it was estimated that as many as 12,000 Nebraskans could not vote because of felony records. Given Nebraska’s addition to incarceration in the decade since then, we know that many more Nebraskans could have been disenfranchised had it not been for the passage of Sen. Shimeck’s voting rights bill. The fact that people of color and low income people are disproportionately represented in our criminal justice system means that Nebraska laws had been keeping large segments of minority voices out of our democracy.
The two-year period was set as a comprise when the bill was passed, overriding a veto by Governor Dave Heinemann.
Like many rights, the ACLU has needed to be consistently vigilant to ensure this right is accessible. A study we released in June of this year showed that nearly half of Nebraska counties were not providing proper information on voting rights for people with a felony conviction.
19 states and the District of Columbia make ballots more accessible for people with a criminal conviction than Nebraska, by eliminating the waiting period, only keeping voting off limits for people in prison – but not parole, or not restricting voting in any way based on a criminal conviction.
2016 is the 50th anniversary of the ACLU of Nebraska. We will feature several memories from our five decades of defending freedom in the Cornhusker state here. Do you have a favorite memory? Share it with us!
