Nebraska Voters Could Reinstate the Death Penalty
Join us and tell your reps how you feel!
The death penalty is one of the most controversial issues in American politics. This November, voters in Nebraska will choose whether to overturn their state’s ban on capital punishment.
What the Referendum Does
This referendum would ask voters whether they want to repeal Nebraska’s ban on the death penalty and reinstate capital punishment, or whether they’d like the ban to remain in place.
A vote to retain the state’s current ban on the death penalty would leave life imprisonment as the maximum penalty for first-degree murder.
This referendum will appear on Nebraska ballots on November 8 as "Referendum 426."
Repeal
The death penalty is the only way to bring murderers to justice and deliver a measure of closure to those close to the victim. The most heinous criminals shouldn’t live off the taxpayer dime.
Retain
The criminal justice system is too unreliable to risk executing an innocent person, and many facing the death penalty sit on death row for years before their sentence is carried out.
In Depth
The Nebraska’s legislature passed a bill prohibiting the death penalty in 2015, but Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts vetoed it on May 26, 2015. The next day, the legislature (which only has one chamber, unlike every other state) voted to override the veto on a 30-19 margin, which is notable because although legislators in Nebraska are officially nonpartisan, most identify as Republicans.
The death penalty is currently permitted in 30 states, and lethal injection is the primary execution method. Twenty other states have abolished the death penalty, with five doing so in just the last seven years. An additional four states have governors that imposed moratoriums on carrying out the death penalty, so that while the practice remains legal, it isn’t used.
— Eric Revell
Map by Death Penalty Information Center
The Latest
-
SCOTUS Hears Trump Immunity Case, Appearing SkepticalUpdated Apr. 26, 2024, 11:00 a.m. EST The Supreme Court heard oral arguments today over whether Trump is immune from prosecution read more... States
-
IT: 🖋️ Biden signs a bill approving military aid and creating hurdles TikTok, and... Should the U.S. call for a ceasefire?Welcome to Thursday, April 25th, readers near and far... Biden signed a bill that approved aid for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, read more...
-
Biden Signs Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan Aid, and TikTok BillWhat’s the story? President Joe Biden signed a bill that approved aid for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, which could lead to a ban read more... Taiwan
-
Protests Grow Nationwide as Students Demand Divestment From IsraelUpdated Apr. 23, 2024, 11:00 a.m. EST Protests are growing on college campuses across the country, inspired by the read more... Advocacy