Here’s a funny thought: If Donald Trump lived in Nebraska, the state’s Republican Attorney General and the Republican Secretary of State would not want him to be able to vote for himself. That’s because they have unilaterally decided that laws passed by the Unicameral that allow felons to vote after they’ve completed their sentencing violates the state’s constitution. 

They claim that only the Board of Pardons can reinstate voting rights. The board includes Attorney General Mike Hilgers, Secretary of State Bob Evnen, and Governor Jim Pillen. The Board of Pardons rarely pardons anyone, so I doubt they’d be reinstating many voting rights anytime soon. 

For over 19 years, the state has allowed convicted felons the right to vote two years after they complete their sentence. Last year the Unicameral changed that to allow them to vote as soon as they had paid their debt to society.  

Now for some reason, the Attorney General and Secretary of State have decided that both of these laws are unconstitutional, and the Nebraska Supreme Court must decide if that’s the case.  

The Unicameral did the right thing by passing that legislation. One of the leading reasons a felon is likely to re-offend is that they have a tough time assimilating back into society.  The stigma of their past offenses follows them when they try to get back to normal. It’s tougher for them to get a job or find a place to live.  They feel like outsiders to society.

If the Supreme Court rules in the state’s favor taking away their voting rights, tens of thousands of Nebraskans will be forced to be on the outside looking in. They’ll be rubbing salt into the wounds of their past offenses.

This is just another attempt by Republicans to try to take away people’s right to vote. The majority of those affected by this unilateral decision made by Pillen, Hilgers, and Evnen live in the Second Congressional District, also known as the blue dot.  Our district could have a major impact in the upcoming Presidential election. Do the AG and Secretary of State believe that rehabilitated felons will only vote for Kamala Harris? Republicans can be felons too.  I’d bet Jeff Fortenberry would vote for Trump if he was allowed to.  

Here’s a question I don’t have the answer to: of those tens of thousands who are sitting in limbo waiting for the Nebraska Supreme Court to make a decision, how many would even vote in the first place?  It’s hard enough getting folks off the couch to go to the polls in most elections; are reformed felons any different?   

By taking away their right to vote they are not being tough on crime, they are being tough on citizens. Many of them made a mistake in the past and have since gone on the straight and narrow. Many of those whose rights are on hold right now have gotten married and had kids.  Those that have gotten jobs are being taxed so shouldn’t they be allowed to vote?

If memory serves me, I believe we fought a war against taxation without representation. 

For over 19 years felons that have done their time have been allowed to vote after a two-year waiting period. During that time every AG and Secretary of State was a Republican and none of them have had even the slightest problem with that law. The Republican Party of years gone by is not the Republican Party of today.  It has changed during the age of Trump. The Republican Party that used to respect the voice of the voters now wants to silence that voice.  

I sincerely hope the Nebraska Supreme Court rules in favor of the felons. Let them have a voice in the direction our city, state, and country are going.  Let them put their past behind them.  Let them move forward.  Giving them a second chance at being productive members of society benefits us all.  Reminding them of their past offenses every two years only need-lessly punishes them and doesn’t help the rest of us.  

The Good Life should be allowed for all Nebraskans, even convicted felons like Donald Trump.  

Tom Becka is a long time Nebraska broadcaster who for over 30 years has been covering Omaha and Midwest issues on both radio and TV. He has been a guest on numerous national cable and news shows, filled in for nationally syndicated talk radio programs and Talkers Magazine has recognized him as one of the Top 100 talk show hosts in the country 10 times. Never afraid to ruffle some feathers, his ‘Becka’s Beat’ commentaries can be found online on Youtube and other digital platforms.

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