Nebraska legislators on Wednesday evening overwhelmingly declined to vary how the state awards its Electoral College votes to a winner-take-all system.
Shrugging off strain from former President Donald J. Trump and Gov. Jim Pillen, who’ve pushed Republicans to maneuver ahead on the difficulty, members of the unicameral State Legislature rejected in bipartisan vogue an effort to connect a provision that may have made the change to an unrelated invoice. Had it handed, the change might have helped Mr. Trump in his race in opposition to President Biden.
It continues to be attainable that the supply might be hooked up to a different invoice, however there are solely days to go earlier than the legislative session ends.
Nebraska is one in every of two states — the opposite being Maine — that award an electoral vote to the winner of every congressional district, which means it’s attainable for a candidate who loses the state to nonetheless obtain some credit score.
In Nebraska’s case, this implies two electoral votes are awarded to the statewide winner and three are awarded to the district winners. Two of the districts, and the state as a complete, are solidly Republican. But the Second District, in and round Omaha, is a swing district and voted for Mr. Biden in 2020.
In an election as shut as this November’s could also be, that single electoral vote might be decisive. There is a sensible situation — Mr. Biden wins Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin; Mr. Trump wins Arizona, Georgia and Nevada — wherein it might make the distinction between a Biden victory and an Electoral College tie. If that had been to occur, the election could be thrown to the House of Representatives, and Mr. Trump could be prone to win. A tie could be resolved with every state delegation getting one vote, not by a vote of the total chamber.
