At the urging of former President Donald Trump, Republican lawmakers in Nebraska are attempting to change the state’s current system of allocating electoral votes. The proposed change would adopt a “winner takes all” system, which could potentially impede President Joe Biden’s chances of winning re-election. Nebraska’s current system allocates two of its five electoral votes to the candidate who wins the majority of votes statewide, with the remaining three votes going to the winners of each congressional district. This system allows Democratic candidates to have a chance of winning an electoral vote from the more liberal-leaning district surrounding Omaha.
With the 2024 general election potentially coming down to just a few electoral votes in key states, Trump is hoping to swing Nebraska’s system in his favor. Republicans in the state have been trying to alter the system since it was approved in 1991, but previous attempts have been unsuccessful due to vetoes or committee failures. A recent attempt to change the system failed on an 8-36 vote, and time is running out as the legislative session ends on April 18. While there appear to be few paths forward to pass the measure, Governor Jim Pillen is pushing for another vote, arguing that a winner-takes-all system would align Nebraska with most other states and reflect the founders’ intent.
Former President Trump has been vocal in his support for changing Nebraska’s electoral college system, urging lawmakers to act quickly despite the tight timeframe. He argues that a winner-takes-all system is what most states do and is in line with the intentions of the founders. Trump has not made a similar push to change Maine’s electoral college system, which also does not follow a winner-takes-all approach. Maine allocates two electoral votes to the state’s popular vote winner and one vote to the winner of each congressional district, with the more conservative 2nd district typically voting Republican.
In the 2020 election, Biden won 306 electoral votes compared to Trump’s 232, while in 2016, Trump won 304 electoral votes compared to Hillary Clinton’s 227. The winner of the presidential race needs to secure at least 270 electoral votes, making every state’s electoral votes crucial. Trump’s efforts to change Nebraska’s electoral voting system are seen as an attempt to potentially tip the scales in his favor for the 2024 election. It remains to be seen if Nebraska lawmakers will pass the proposed changes before the legislative session ends on April 18.
