Nebraska legislators blocked a late effort Wednesday regarding a proposed change to the state's allocation of Electoral College votes into a ‘winner-takes-all’ style method.
The measure fell short in a procedural vote, with a vote count of 8-36. While supporters may attempt to revive the proposal, it remains uncertain whether the proposal can garner enough support to pass and be enacted into 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, the proponent behind the original winner-take-all bill, expressed his intention to make one last effort to bring the measure up for a vote before the legislative session concludes on April 18. Despite his determination, it remains uncertain whether there is sufficient support for the proposed change to advance.
In the absence of another opportunity for a vote, there's a possibility that the state’s Governor Jim Pillen, who has vocally advocated for transitioning to a winner-take-all system, may consider convening a special legislative session to tackle the matter.
Nebraska stands as one of only two states that doesn't allocate all its Electoral College votes to the statewide winner, a system it adopted before the 1992 presidential election. Since then, the district encompassing the Omaha area has diverged from the statewide winner's choice merely twice — in favor of Barack Obama in 2008 and Joe Biden in 2020.
