OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – Nearly 200 in Douglas County have registered to vote since last week’s ruling from the Nebraska Supreme Court allowing felons who have served their sentences to do so.
On Wednesday, the state’s high court ruled that Nebraskans with felonies can now vote as long as they have completed their entire sentence, per a state law passed this spring.
The Douglas County Election Commission told 6 News that it had processed 189 such voter registration applications — in person, by mail, and online — as of Tuesday evening. That‘s in addition to the 400 pending applications provided by the Nebraska Secretary of State’s office.
“All applications will be processed by the deadline so that individuals who are eligible to be registered to vote and have submitted a voter registration application will be able to vote in the November 5 election,” a spokeswoman with the county elections office said in an email to 6 News.
The Nebraska Supreme Court released its decision last Wednesday, Oct. 16, ruling that Nebraskans with felonies can now vote as long as they have completed their entire sentence, per a state law passed this spring. Several justices also delivered some harsh comments to the state about its constitutionality arguments.
Several organizations have been working to get felons registered to vote as the clock continues to tick down for Nebraskans affected by this decision. They only have a few days left to re-register: Online registration ended last week, and 6 p.m. Friday is the deadline to register in person.
Advocates estimated there were around 7,000 Nebraska voters who became eligible to cast a ballot with the restoration of their voting rights. That’s on top of the 60,000 Nebraskans who got their right to vote back in 2005, when lawmakers ended the lifetime voting ban for felons. By some estimates, the court decision may have impacted as many as 80,000 voters in Nebraska.
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Anyone eligible to cast a ballot in the presidential election must register — in person — at their county election office by 6 p.m. Friday.
Anyone with questions about the deadlines or how to register should contact their county election office.
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