Abuse of Power

On July 17, Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers issued a controversial opinion that the state Pardons Board has sole authority to restore the voting rights of Nebraskans who have served their sentences for felony convictions. In April, the state legislature passed a bill (LB20) lifting a two-year waiting period in order to allow those who have completed their sentences to vote immediately.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the National Voting In Prison Coalition (NVPC), a group of organizations dedicated to dismantling barriers to voting rights, objects to the recent legal efforts in Nebraska and Mississippi which undermine the voting rights of individuals impacted by the criminal legal system.

"Rather than serve the voters, Senator Menendez sold them out for his own personal profit. He must resign.”

Today, in a ruling that likely comes too late to hold a trial prior to the election, the U.S. Supreme Court in Trump v. United States found that presidents are immune from prosecution for actions within their conclusive and preclusive constitutional authority, and are presumptively immune from prosecution for official acts and returned the case to the district court. Common Cause’s brief in the case had urged the High Court to rule expeditiously, citing previous cases – including United States v. Nixon and Bush v. Gore – where the Justices acted quickly when the presidency was at stake and the public interest demanded speed.

Common Cause is urging every member of the U.S. House of Representatives to vote “no” when H.R. 192 is expected to be brought to the floor later today. Common Cause plans to key-vote this legislation in its Democracy Scorecard, which is sent to its 1.5 million members and state and national press.   The proposed legislation is the latest effort by Congress to interfere in the lives and self-government of the residents of Washington, DC, who have been denied equal representation in Congress since the city was founded in 1790. The letter sent to every Member of the House, reminds lawmakers that the bill would disrupt the District’s 2024 primary elections by changing election guidelines and eligibility in the middle of an election that is already underway.

Frederica Freyberg: So in your mind, should Wisconsin voters expect to see the use of absentee ballot drop boxes for upcoming elections, from what you heard in oral arguments? Jay Heck: Well, if the oral arguments are any indication about what the court might do, I am very positive or have a very good positive feeling about what the outcome might be. You know, one thing it’s important to note is that we have had drop boxes in Wisconsin for a number of years and of course, most famously during 2020, in the pandemic, they were a means for many thousands of Wisconsinites around the state to be able to return their absentee ballots in a safe, secure way. Rural voters, urban voters, young voters, old voters, people with disabilities, they’re a good thing. Wisconsin is now the only state in the upper Midwest, only non-red, deep red state that doesn’t allow the use of them.