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Death penalty group to submit ballot signatures on Wednesday

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A group that wants to reinstate Nebraska's death penalty through a ballot measure will submit its signatures to the secretary of state's office a day early.

Nebraskans for the Death Penalty will announce the number of signatures collected on Wednesday, a day before its submission deadline. The secretary of state's office will then send the boxes to counties, which have 40 days to verify all of the signatures.

The petition drive began after Nebraska lawmakers voted in May to abolish the death penalty, overriding Gov. Pete Ricketts' veto.

Nebraskans for the Death Penalty will release its signature count at 3 p.m. at the Capitol. Spokesman Chris Peterson says volunteers and paid circulators have collected signatures from all 93 counties.

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