NATIONAL VOTING IN PRISON COALITION RESPONDS TO THE RECENT ROLLBACKS OF FELONY DISENFRANCHISEMENT REFORMS IN NEBRASKA & MISSISSIPPI 

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:

“While the media’s attention was occupied by the Republican National Convention, Republicans in Nebraska and Mississippi worked under the radar to reverse critical voting rights progress in their states,” said the coalition members. “The National Voting In Prison Coalition strongly condemns these maneuvers that obstruct the democratic process and calls on officials in Nebraska and Mississippi to restore the voting rights of justice-involved individuals.”

“In Nebraska, just two days before a new state law was set to restore voting rights to people who have completed their sentences, Attorney General Mike Hilgers issued an opinion challenging the Legislature’s authority, arguing that the Nebraska Constitution grants the Nebraska Pardons Board exclusive power to restore voting rights.

“Although the Attorney General’s opinion is not the law, Nebraska’s Secretary of State has effectively halted the voter registrations of eligible citizens in agreement with Hilgers’ opinion. This not only undermines Nebraska’s legislative process, but disenfranchises and discourages  individuals who are trying to reintegrate into their communities and participate in our democracy.

“On the same day, a federal appeals court in Mississippi upheld the state’s practice of disenfranchising individuals convicted of certain felonies, including nonviolent offenses such as forgery and timber theft. This decision perpetuates a practice rooted in the Jim Crow era, where voting rights were stripped upon conviction of crimes Black citizens were more likely to be convicted of. The disenfranchising crimes listed in the Mississippi Constitution continues to disproportionately affect Black communities.

“Since 1997, 26 states and the District of Columbia have expanded voting rights for individuals with felony convictions, enabling over 2 million eligible residents to regain their right to vote. These recent regressive decisions in Nebraska and Mississippi undermine the will of the people and take both states backward. The National Voting in Prison Coalition calls on state lawmakers to remove all barriers to the ballot and restore the rights of people impacted by the criminal-legal system.”

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The National Voting In Prison Coalition (NVPC) is a national coalition of criminal justice and democracy organizations formed to advance guaranteed voting rights for justice-involved Americans, including those currently and formerly incarcerated or otherwise impacted by the criminal legal system.