TL/DR –
Former President Donald Trump and his allies are urging Nebraska lawmakers to change the state’s electoral college vote split system to a winner-takes-all allocation. The proposed change was not a priority until prominent Republicans emphasized the potential significance in a future rematch with President Joe Biden. Despite increased attention, the proposal has not been prioritized and remains in committee, with only two days left in the session for new bills to be introduced.
Changing Nebraska’s Electoral College: Pressure from Trump and Allies
Ex-President Donald Trump and allies are pushing for electoral college vote changes in Nebraska. This move suggests how competitive the potential November rematch against President Joe Biden could be.
The proposed switch would transition the state from a system dividing electoral votes between statewide winners and congressional district victors to a winner-take-all system. Support seemed scant until major Republicans turned the national spotlight on the issue.
Conservative activist Charlie Kirk initiated the effort. Soon, Republican Gov. Jim Pillen voiced his support, although he hadn’t prioritized it during his first 15 months in office. Trump also backed the shift on Truth Social.
However, the Nebraska law that splits electoral votes by district wasn’t a topic of serious discussion during this year’s legislative session and wasn’t on Gov. Pillen’s radar until Trump’s allies started their push.
The abrupt move, coming only two weeks before the legislative session ends on April 18, caught Nebraska Republicans by surprise. The Legislature’s speaker, Sen. John Arch, appeared to reject action on the issue this year.
A spirited debate on whether to formally consider the winner-take-all measure began in the State Capitol in Lincoln, and critics are likely to filibuster.
Nebraska and Maine are the only two states that divide their electoral votes by district, a system that let Biden earn a vote from red-state Nebraska and Trump one from blue-state Maine in 2020.
Getting last-minute legislation approved in Nebraska’s unicameral legislature is notoriously hard. A Democratic lawmaker informed CNN that a filibuster would be raised if Republicans pushed the electoral college bill.
The current proposal has been stagnating in committee since 2023, without enough votes for a full vote. It was barely discussed this year until Trump’s allies started advocating for the change.
The Biden campaign has been keeping an eye on Omaha and its one electoral vote for weeks. Even if Biden wins Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, he could still fall short of 270 electoral votes due to decreasing populations in Pennsylvania and Michigan according to the 2020 census.
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