Ricketts vetoes bill to restore voting rights to felons sooner

LINCOLN — The governor is headed for a showdown with state lawmakers over felon voting rights.

Gov. Pete Ricketts vetoed a measure Thursday that restores the voting rights of felons immediately after they complete their sentences. He maintained that the Legislature violated the Nebraska Constitution by assuming the power to pardon that properly belongs to the executive branch of government.

“Any effort to restore a civil right revoked in the Nebraska Constitution requires changing the Nebraska Constitution,” the governor said in a message announcing his first veto of the session.

State Sen. Justin Wayne of Omaha, the sponsor of Legislative Bill 75, said he would file a motion to override the veto. An override requires votes from at least 30 of the 49 senators.

Read more: http://www.omaha.com/news/legislature/ricketts-vetoes-bill-to-restore-voting-rights-to-felons-sooner/article_52c7c01e-2b98-11e7-aff9-c7d692ed2e0b.html