(USNewsMag.com) – On April 3rd, a bid for Nebraska to overhaul its elections and adopt a winner-take-all system fell short of the 23 necessary votes in the Republican-controlled state legislature.
First introduced more than a year ago by Nebraska state Sen. Loren Lippincott, the proposal, LB 764, was supported by former President Donald Trump and Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen. However, the bill that would automatically award all five of Nebraska’s Electoral College votes in the presidential election to the top-performing candidate has been stalled for the last year in the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee.
Attempting to make the change before the legislative session ends on April 18, Nebraska state Sen. Julie Slama used a procedural move to break the deadlock and attached the proposed changes to the unrelated bill, LB1300.
In an April 2nd statement before the vote, Pillen said the legislation would allow Nebraska to have “one unified voice in presidential elections.” Trump also shared Pillen’s statement in an April 2nd post on Truth Social. In a separate post on Truth Social, Trump called Pillen “a very smart and popular Governor.” He added that the winner-take-all system is not only “what 48 other States do” but what is “right for Nebraska.”
The final vote, 8-36, shot down the procedural motion that would have allowed the proposal to be put to a vote.
After the vote, Lippincott said he would continue to push for LB 764. However, he stated, “it doesn’t look promising” that the bill will pass this year.
Slama criticized Republicans for having a “filibuster-proof majority” and still failing to pass the bill “in an election year,” calling it “wild.”
Nebraska and Maine are the only states that do not use a winner-take-all system, instead assigning votes in the Electoral College based on district. In Nebraska, Democrats can sometimes secure an extra delegate in the state. The change would help Republicans by preventing a single delegate from being awarded to Democrats.
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