Nebraska Republicans Demand Special Session To Revert To Winner-Take-All Electoral System

On Tuesday, Gov. Jim Pillen (R-NE) revealed that he would call a special legislative session to ensure that the state of Nebraska allocates its electoral votes to a winner-take-all system rather than the current system that allocates electors via the popular vote and congressional districts. If changed, the Cornhusker State would award presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump five electoral votes in November instead of the four awarded to Trump in 2020.

"I am steadfast in my commitment to get winner-take-all over the finish line, thereby honoring our constitutional founding, unifying our state, and ending the three-decades-old mistake of allocating Nebraska's electoral votes differently than all but one other state," the governor wrote on X. "Although it is now clear that WTA cannot pass during the regular legislative session, I look forward to partnering with legislative leaders to moving it forward in a special session, when there is sufficient support in the Legislature to pass it. I will sign WTA into law the moment the Legislature gets it to my desk."

TPUSA Founder Charlie Kirk has been instrumental in invigorating the grassroots on this issue and encouraging Nebraska Republicans to take action. Kirk held a widely attended event in Omaha earlier this week that rallied Republicans to support legislation that would revert the winner-take-all system. “Nebraska could pick a president,” Kirk said durng the rally. “You better believe that that message is being heard in the Capitol. … If we have to come back and do another one, we will because this is a question of the will.”

President Donald Trump has also demanded that Nebraska Republicans take action, writing on Truth Social, "Governor Jim Pillen of Nebraska, a very smart and popular Governor, who has done some really great things, came out today with a very strong letter in support of returning Nebraska's Electoral Votes to a Winner-Take-All System. Most Nebraskans have wanted to go back to this system for a very long time, because it's what 48 other States do - It's what the Founders intended, and it's right for Nebraska. Thank you Governor for your bold leadership. Let's hope the Senate does the right thing. Nebraskans, respectfully ask your Senators to support this Great Bill!"

If the legislature takes action, Biden's path to reelection narrows dramatically. Under the current system, Democrats would only have to win the swing states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan in addition to Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District. However, if the Cornhusker State decides to revert to a winner-take-all system, Biden would have to win an additional state - Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, or North Carolina - to win the presidency without the electoral college vote being tied. In a tie scenario where each candidate receives 269 electoral votes, the House of Representatives votes to decide who will be the next president.

Nebraska, which is only joined by Maine in assigning electoral votes by congressional district, instituted its split vote system in 1991. Barack Obama was the first Democrat to win an electoral vote from the state in 2008. That feat was replicated again by Biden in 2020. The current system allocates two electoral votes to the winner of the state's popular vote and one electoral vote each for each of its three congressional districts. Nebraska's switch to the winner-take-all system could be instrumental in the election of Donald Trump in November, and Nebraska Republicans should take action.

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