West LA Times

Nebraska's Supreme Court has upheld a law that restores voting rights to individuals who have completed their felony sentences. This decision follows an earlier move by the secretary of state to revoke these rights. The ruling could influence upcoming elections, potentially affecting both presidential and congressional outcomes.

The Sentencing Project, an organization focused on criminal justice reform, reports that 2 million people with felony convictions now have restored voting rights. However, new research indicates many may be unaware of this change.

Naomi Sugie, a sociologist from UCLA, is leading a study on the challenges faced by this group in exercising their voting rights. Her team is also observing efforts by community organizations to mobilize voters affected by felony convictions ahead of the November 5 election.

"We have been sending messages to people across seven states for the past three weeks," Sugie stated. "People have been asking us questions about their eligibility, how to register and how to vote."

Sugie emphasized that those with convictions do not uniformly support any particular political party or candidate. "It might be surprising to learn that people with convictions cannot be typecasted as supporting any particular party or candidate — just like the country, they have diverse experiences, preferences, and motivations to vote."

She highlighted the importance of each vote in a close election: "This is a close election and every vote counts." Sugie's outreach aims to engage a segment of voters often overlooked by polls and campaigns.

Despite progress in restoring voting rights for some individuals with felony convictions, Sugie noted ongoing disenfranchisement issues: "A recent study by the Sentencing Project estimates that 4 million people remain excluded from this election."

Sugie's research explores the intersection of criminal legal contact and inequality across various areas such as crime, health, families, employment, welfare, and voting. She employs diverse methods for data collection and analysis and is interested in using mobile technology as tools for social science research.