Nebraska Lawmakers Reject Trump-Backed Move to Change Electoral Vote System
Nebraska lawmakers on Wednesday night voted against a move toward changing the way the state awards Electoral College votes, a proposal backed by Donald Trump that would likely help him in his bid for a second presidential term.
Legislators voted 8-36 on a motion that, had it succeeded, would have cleared the way for another vote on returning the state to the winner-take-all model used by 48 other states, the Lincoln Journal Star reports. Both Trump and Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen publicly called for the overhaul, though it’s not clear if its supporters will attempt to try again or have a realistic chance of success before the end of the state’s legislative session on April 18.
While most states award all of their Electoral College votes to the candidate who wins the state’s popular vote, Nebraska has a different way of allocating its five electoral votes. Two of its votes are given to the statewide winner, while the other three are allocated to whoever wins in each of the state’s three congressional districts.