According to a news release issued by the ACLU of Nebraska:

 “The [ACLU] legal team filed the lawsuit directly with the Nebraska Supreme Court this morning [July 29, 2024], seeking court orders compelling certain actions from Nebraska Secretary of State Robert Evnen, including issuing voter registration applications in accordance with voter restoration statutes and addressing the wrongful disqualification of voters with past felony convictions. The case also seeks court orders compelling local election commissioners to allow Nebraskans with past felony convictions to register to vote if they have completed all terms of their sentence and are otherwise eligible to vote, as is required under state law. Today’s filings include a request for justices to approve bypassing litigation at the district court level given the nature and urgency of the case.

The lawsuit is in response to Evnen recently directing county election officials to refuse to register Nebraskans with past felony convictions in defiance of a law that passed the Nebraska Legislature requiring the restoration of voting rights to all Nebraska citizens who have completed the terms of their felony sentence.”

The ACLU issued the news release on July 29 following the Nebraska Attorney General’s July 17 opinion on LB20 — the felon voting rights bill, which passed by the Legislature in 2024 with a 38-6 vote — and the Secretary of State’s directive on registering ex-felons to vote.

This bipartisan majority of Nebraska senators voted to remove the two-year waiting period so that people with felony convictions can vote as soon as they finish all terms of their felony sentences, including probation and parole. LB20 was passed into law, but on July 17, 2024, the Secretary of State announced that he will not comply with the law based on the Attorney General’s opinion asserting that only the Board of Pardons has the power to restore voting rights.

The Secretary of State has directed county election officials to stop registering voters with past felony convictions no matter how long it’s been since they finished their sentences. “The conflict between the recently passed law and the actions of those responsible for enforcing it has caused confusion and frustration for Nebraskans who are system-impacted and leaves many individuals unsure whether they will have a voice in the upcoming election,” according to the ACLU of Nebraska. 

Additional information should be available after the state parole board hearing on Aug. 20, 2024.