Omaha Sen. Justin Wayne will attempt to override a veto by Gov. Pete Ricketts on a bill Wayne introduced to restore voting rights to ex-felons as soon as their sentences are served or their probation complete.
"I am shocked that in 2017 we are still fighting for basic fundamental rights such as voting," Wayne said in a news release.
Ricketts' veto reminds Wayne's north Omaha community of the policies enacted in the 1860s by many southern states to create disenfranchisement laws, Wayne said. Those laws targeted African-Americans and diminished their electoral strength.
That is confirmed, he said, by the state's legislative history of ex-felon disenfranchisement laws of 1866, 1871 and 1875.Ìý
"It is a disgrace to think that we would continue to deny taxpayers the right to vote," Wayne said. "I cannot accept that this overtly political action could succeed in suppressing the voices of many who have made a mistake, want to return to their homes and contribute to their communities by getting jobs and paying taxes."
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Taxation without representation is tyranny, he said.Ìý
Ricketts made the argument in his veto letter that requiring convicted felons to wait two years before allowing them to vote provides an incentive to maintain a clean record and avoid subsequent convictions.
Shakur Abdullah of Omaha, who served a sentence for two felonies he was convicted of at age 16, and was released from prison about a year ago, said the argument Ricketts used that a two-year waiting period gives ex-felons an incentive to maintain a clean record is nonsensical.
It also smacks of increasing a penalty for an infraction after it has been committed, and of double jeopardy, he said.Ìý
The override vote had not been scheduled for debate as of Monday afternoon, Speaker Jim Scheer said.Ìý
While the rehabilitation of criminals is an important goal, the immediate restoration of voting rights is not the answer, Ricketts said.