Danielle Jefferis, Brandon Johnson, and Anthony Schutz have written this oped in the Lincoln Journal-Star. A snippet:

There is a brewing crisis of democracy in Nebraska. No, not the kind involving lies about stolen elections or outlandish conspiracies, but a more subtle and strategic crisis wherein one branch of government seizes the mechanisms of institutional power to suppress the voice of the people.

We see this crisis emerge in the actions of Attorney General Mike Hilgers and Secretary of State Bob Evnen, who have injected themselves into the state’s voter registration process by unilaterally voiding democratically enacted laws. Of course, this is all happening in the lead-up to a pivotal November election.   

For nearly 20 years, state law has permitted Nebraskans with felony convictions to re-acquire their right to vote two years after completing the terms of their criminal sentence. In April 2024, state lawmakersamended that law to eliminate the two-year waiting requirement. L.B. 20 became law without Governor Jim Pillen’s signature. In a public statement Governor Pillen wrote that Hilgers and Evnen “have identified significant potential [constitutional] infirmities regarding [L.B. 20].”  At no point during L.B. 20’s progression through the legislature, however, had the executive branch lodged its formal opposition to the bill.   

Voting rights advocates began preparing for thousands of Nebraskans to regain their rights. Yet, two days before L.B. 20 was to take effect, Hilgers issued a non-binding opinion, declaring the law unconstitutional. Evnen ordered county officials to stop registering those with felony convictions, following the advisory opinion despite its non-binding nature.