Saturday, 21 September 2024

Nebraska Legislature Fails To Pass Measure Changing Electoral College Vote To ‘Winner-Take-All’ System

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Nebraska lawmakers blocked an effort to change how the state allocates its Electoral College votes, despite pressure from Donald Trump and Republican Gov. Jim Pillen.

“Nebraska and Maine are the only two states that do not have a winner-take-all policy,” Just the News writes.

In the 2020 presidential election, Donald Trump received four of Nebraska's electoral votes and Joe Biden received one.

Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk has discussed the potential ramifications of Nebraska switching to a winner-take-all system.

“Suppose Donald Trump flips Arizona, Georgia, and Nevada next fall, as current polls all show him doing. Would he win the presidency? Not quite. In fact, if Trump flips those three states and no others, he loses by exactly ONE electoral vote. Why? Nebraska,” Kirk wrote.

“Despite being one of the most Republican states, Nebraska awards its electoral votes by Congressional district instead of winner-take-all. Thanks to this system, Omaha's electoral vote leans blue: Obama won it in 2008, and Biden won it in 2020. He's likely to win it again this year. California would never do this. New York would never do this. And as long as that's the case, neither should we. This is completely fixable. Nebraska's legislature can act to make sure their state's electoral votes go towards electing the candidate the VAST majority of Nebraskans prefer. There's already a bill ready to go – LB764. All Nebraska has to do is put it up for a vote. As I write this, the Nebraska legislature is still in session. Nebraskans should call their legislators and their governor to demand their state stop pointlessly giving strength to their political enemies,” he continued.

NBC News reports:

The measure fell short, 8-36, in a procedural vote. While it’s possible supporters could take another stab at advancing the proposal, there remain serious hurdles as the legislative session draws to a close, and it’s unclear whether the proposal has enough support to get across the finish line and become law.

Nebraska currently doles out three of its five electoral votes to the presidential candidate who wins each of its three congressional districts. In practice, that puts the competitive 2nd District in the Omaha area in play, even though Republicans typically win the statewide vote easily.

Wednesday night's failed attempt to change the law to award all the state’s Electoral College votes to the statewide winner leaves the fate of the proposal in doubt with a few days left in the legislative session.

State Sen. Loren Lippincott, who introduced the original winner-take-all bill, told the Nebraska Examiner that he’d make one final attempt to bring the measure up for a vote before the legislative session ends on April 18. However, it's unclear whether there’s enough support for the change to move forward.

“Governor Jim Pillen of Nebraska, a very smart and popular Governor, who has done some really great things, came out today with a very strong letter in support of returning Nebraska’s Electoral Votes to a Winner-Take-All System,” Donald Trump said Tuesday on Truth Social, sharing a press release from Gov. Pillen to signal his support for LB 764.

“Most Nebraskans have wanted to go back to this system for a very long time, because it’s what 48 other States do – It’s what the Founders intended, and it’s right for Nebraska. Thank you Governor for your bold leadership. Let’s hope the Senate does the right thing. Nebraskans, respectfully ask your Senators to support this Great Bill!” he added.

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Read the press release from Gov. Pillen below:

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From Just the News:

State Sen. Loren Lippincott, who introduced the original bill to alter the Electoral College, said he would attempt to reintroduce the bill before the end of the legislative session on April 18.

Pillen wrote in a statement Wednesday on X that he is a “strong supporter of Senator Lippincott's winner-take-all bill,” which “would bring Nebraska into line with 48 of our fellow states, better reflect the founders' intent, and ensure our state speaks with one unified voice in presidential elections.”


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