New: Nebraska Supreme Court orders the secretary of state to immediately carry out a new state law that

[In It to Win It]

Zoe Tillman
@ZoeTillman

New: Nebraska Supreme Court orders the secretary of state to immediately carry out a new state law that gives people convicted of felony crimes their right to vote back once they complete their sentence https://nebraska.gov/apps-courts-epub/public/viewOpinion?docId=N00011458PUB

Link to tweet

[Think. Again.]

1. They only have until Friday to register.

[CrispyQ]

2. I was curious so I googled voting rights of felons.

https://www.nep.uscourts.gov/faq/general/31

If I am convicted of a felony in Federal court, can I vote?

In all but two states (Vermont and Maine), voting age citizens convicted of a felony are barred from voting for at least some period of time. Restrictions on a felon's right to vote are summarized below:

Voting rights retained while incarcerated for a felony conviction in: Maine and Vermont.

Voting rights restored automatically upon release from prison in: The District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Utah.

Voting rights restored automatically once released from prison and discharged from parole (probationers can vote) in: California, Colorado, Connecticut, New York, and South Dakota.

Voting rights restored automatically upon completion of sentence, including prison, parole, and probation in: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Voting rights restoration is dependent on the type of conviction and/or the outcome of an individual petition or application to the government in: Alabama, Delaware, Mississippi, Nevada, Tennessee, and Wyoming.

Voting rights can only be restored through an individual petition or application to the government in: Florida, Iowa, Kentucky, and Virginia.

I have two issues here. 1) Who needs voting rights more than those whose liberty we've taken? Especially if you're going to use inmates as a profit center, assembly jobs, call centers. 2) Our voting laws should be consistent from state to state. A country shouldn't be more democratic in some states than others. It's much easier to vote in CO than in most other states, so a more accessible voting system should be the standard. Same with voting rights for felons. Just my opinion.

I highlighted Florida for those curious about Trump. I'm sure his app was fast tracked.

[erronis]

3. Excellent points. The biggest one is a need for nation-wide consistency in voting regulations.

The (r)epuglicons have been playing these "states rights" games since their insurrection in 1860.

[LauraInLA]

4. I thought this didn't apply to Trump because he hasn't been sentenced in Federal Court yet.

[CrispyQ]

5. That could be. Maybe someone else knows. ??? -nt

[markodochartaigh]

7. I live in Florida but I'm not a lawyer.

What I've heard from several sources is that since Trump's felony convictions were not in Florida he can still vote in Florida. The Florida law barring felons from voting only applies to felons convicted in Florida.

Also worth noting is that a referendum was passed by Florida voters that would have allowed people to vote after they had served their sentence. But the Republicans then passed a law saying that people have to pay all fines and fees before they can vote. And apparently it is very difficult to find out exactly what they owe. The Democratic party could flip Florida with massive teams of attorneys clearing this mess up, along with donations to help people clear their debts.

[CaptainTruth]

8. I summarized in post 6. Hope it's helpful!

[Igel]

9. It doesn't. The trial isn't over so he's not properly a felon yet.

Which is why Merchan could continue the gag order.

[CaptainTruth]

6. Correction about Florida & Trump

In 2018 we (Floridians) passed a state constitutional amendment to restore felon voting rights upon completion of sentence. In brief:

"This amendment restores the voting rights of Floridians with felony convictions after they complete all terms of their sentence including parole or probation. The amendment would not apply to those convicted of murder or sexual offenses, who would continue to be permanently barred from voting unless the Governor and Cabinet vote to restore their voting rights on a case by case basis."

State government folks don't like it so they've interpreted it to include payment of all fines & court costs. There are people who have served their sentences & paid their fines but are still working to pay off court costs, so they can't get their voting rights restored. Basically DeFascist & his cohorts just want to deny voting rights for as long as they possibly can.

Now, about Trump. When it comes to felon voting rights, Florida defers to the laws of the state where the conviction took place. Trump was convicted in New York so his Florida voting rights will be determined by New York law.

New York law says, in brief:
"A new law passed in 2021, restores the right to vote for a person convicted of a felony upon release from incarceration, regardless of if they are on parole or have a term of post-release supervision. If a convicted felon is not incarcerated, they are eligible to register to vote." So that's what applies to Trump in Florida.