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Gov. Pete Ricketts and Speaker of the Legislature Galen Hadley appealed again Wednesday for Sen. Bill Kintner to resign now so District 2 voters can have their say.

In a letter, the two said if Kintner resigns now, he could petition to stand for election in November and see if he still has the trust of constituents in Cass, Sarpy and Otoe counties.

Kintner, who has been fined by the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission for using his state laptop to have cybersex, has stubbornly refused to quit. He says God and his wife have forgiven him, and he believes God wants him to stay in the Legislature.

"As you know, if you resign before Sept. 8, the governor is required to appoint a replacement within 45 days, but the voters would have the opportunity to vote for the person they trust to represent them ... ," Ricketts and Hadley wrote in the letter to Kintner.

After Sept. 8, a person appointed by the governor will not be able to run in November.

"We believe everything possible should be done to restore the faith of voters in the system, and encourage you to let your voters be heard by giving them the chance to vote," the letter says.