A few dozen advocates gathered Friday afternoon on the north steps of Nebraska's Capitol to cheer of convicted felons immediately upon the completion of their sentences.
Championed by Omaha Sen. Justin Wayne, LB20 will eliminate a waiting period that lawmakers had instituted in 2005 that required felons to wait two years after completing all the terms of their conviction before regaining voting rights.
Republican Gov. Jim Pillen declined to sign the bill this month but did not veto it, allowing it to become law while raising "significant potential constitutional infirmities" with the bill and encouraging Attorney General Mike Hilgers and Secretary of State Bob Evnen to take action in response to such issues.
Still, LB20 is set become law in July — immediately restoring voting rights to around 7,000 formerly incarcerated Nebraskans who had been caught up in the waiting period the Legislature created nearly 20 years ago and advocates have been fighting to eliminate for close to a decade.
"This is a significant step forward in our democracy," Brad Christian-Sallis, the director of power building at the Nebraska Civic Engagement Table, said at Friday's rally on the steps of the Capitol, where he compared the movement to restore felons' voting rights in Nebraska to historically significant achievements for civil rights advocates across the country.
Carla Walker, who was incarcerated at Nebraska's Correctional Center for Women from May 2015 until January 2021 but remained on parole until July of 2022, was set to have her voting rights restored this summer anyway.
But Walker, who advocated for improved prison health care while incarcerated and has continued to raise alarm over the conditions in Nebraska's only women's prison since her release, hailed the end to the state's "antiquated two-year waiting period" at Friday's rally.
"Today, I am celebrating that I and thousands of other Nebraskans will no longer be sidelined from our democratic process for years beyond the fulfillment of our sentences," she said. "I am grateful to regain my voice in our political process sooner — and I am encouraged to know that Nebraska recognizes and honors all of her citizens and their contributions.
"This year, at long last, my voice matters."
Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln, a civil rights attorney and the former head of the ACLU of Nebraska, called LB20's passage "one of the coolest moments in the Legislature this year."
"Senators from all across this state and at each point along the political spectrum — deeply conservative, moderate, deeply progressive — came together in those moments and said, 'The time is right to do what's right,'" Conrad said.
For years, Wayne’s effort to restore voting rights for felons faced opposition from Republicans in the officially nonpartisan Legislature. He passed similar legislation in 2017, but the bill was vetoed by then- Gov. Pete Ricketts, a Republican, and the Legislature .
As of October, 26 states and the District of Columbia had expanded voting rights to people living with felony convictions, .
In his veto message in 2017, Ricketts said the bill violated the state constitution by assuming the power to pardon that properly belongs to the executive branch of government.
And though Pillen and the state's other constitutional officers have raised constitutional questions this time around, too, Conrad cast such concerns as hollow — particularly since neither Pillen, Hilgers nor Evnen in the Legislature for more than a year.
"If they had serious constitutional or legal concerns, they should have brought them forward through the process," Conrad said, adding that "they weren't significant enough to spring a veto."
For now, the bill is set to become law, prompting advocacy groups including Civic Nebraska, RISE and Nebraska Civic Engagement Table to to assist residents who have completed a felony sentence navigate the voter registration process.
The coalition also plans to attend community events and knock on doors to reach Nebraskans impacted by the bill.
Photos: Nebraska Legislature gavels in for first day of 2024 session
Jasmine Harris, director of public policy and advocacy at RISE, speaks during a news conference regarding the passage of LB20 on Friday at the Nebraska State Capitol. LB20 eliminates the current two-year voting waiting period and restores voting rights to people with felony convictions immediately upon completion of their sentence, including completion of probation and parole. The law will take effect in mid-July.
Director of Public Policy and Advocacy at RISE, Jasmine Harris, speaks during a news conference regarding the passage of LB20 on Friday, April 19, 2024, at the Nebraska State Capitol. LB20 eliminates the current two-year voting waiting period and restores voting rights to people with felony convictions immediately upon completion of their sentence, including completion of probation and parole. The law will take effect in mid-July.
Brad Christian-Sallis, director of power building at the Nebraska Civic Engagement Table, speaks during a news conference regarding the passage of LB20 on Friday, April 19, 2024, at the Nebraska State Capitol. LB20 eliminates the current two-year voting waiting period and restores voting rights to people with felony convictions immediately upon completion of their sentence, including completion of probation and parole. The law will take effect in mid-July.
Carla Walker, a formerly incarcerated military veteran and RISE board ambassador, speaks during a news conference regarding the passage of LB20 on Friday, April 19, 2024, at the Nebraska State Capitol. LB20 eliminates the current two-year voting waiting period and restores voting rights to people with felony convictions immediately upon completion of their sentence, including completion of probation and parole. The law will take effect in mid-July.
Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln speaks during a news conference regarding the passage of LB20 on Friday, April 19, 2024, at the Nebraska State Capitol. LB20 eliminates the current two-year voting waiting period and restores voting rights to people with felony convictions immediately upon completion of their sentence, including completion of probation and parole. The law will take effect in mid-July.
Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln speaks during a news conference regarding the passage of LB20 on Friday, April 19, 2024, at the Nebraska State Capitol. LB20 eliminates the current two-year voting waiting period and restores voting rights to people with felony convictions immediately upon completion of their sentence, including completion of probation and parole. The law will take effect in mid-July.
Supporters hold signs during a news conference regarding the passage of LB20 on Friday, April 19, 2024, at the Nebraska State Capitol. LB20 eliminates the current two-year voting waiting period and restores voting rights to people with felony convictions immediately upon completion of their sentence, including completion of probation and parole. The law will take effect in mid-July.