The Nebraska Legislature on Wednesday night overwhelmingly refused to change the way the state awards electoral votes in a winner-take-all system.
Defying pressure from former President Donald J. Trump and Gov. Jim Pillen, who have urged Republicans to move forward on the issue, unicameral state lawmakers in a bipartisan fashion approved a provision that would allow for the change. rejected efforts to add . Unrelated bill. If passed, the change could have given Trump an advantage in the race against President Biden.
It’s still possible that this provision will be added to another bill, but there are only a few days left until Congress adjourns.
Nebraska is one of two states that award electoral votes to the winner of each congressional district, the other being Maine. In other words, even candidates who lose in the state may receive a certain amount of recognition.
In Nebraska’s case, this means that the statewide winner is awarded two electoral votes and the district winner is awarded three electoral votes. Two of his districts and the state as a whole are solidly Republican. However, the 2nd Congressional District in and around Omaha is a battleground district and voted for Biden in 2020.
In an election as close as this November’s, that single electoral vote could be decisive. There is a realistic scenario – Biden wins Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Trump has won Arizona, Georgia and Nevada, which could make the difference between a Biden victory and a tie in the electoral vote count. If that happens, the election will move to the House of Representatives, where Trump is likely to win. Ties are resolved by each state’s delegation receiving one vote, rather than a vote of the entire chamber.
