Electoral College winner-take-all bill dies in Nebraska Legislature

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Nebraska will keep splitting its Electoral College votes — at least for now.

On Tuesday, state senators filibustered Legislative Bill 3, which would have switched the state to a winner-take-all system.

The Legislature voted 31-18 to end debate on the bill and move it forward, but it needed 33.

In Nebraska and Maine, the winner of each congressional district receives one electoral vote, and the statewide winner gets the two remaining votes.

Gov. Jim Pillen, who supported the bill, said it would have brought Nebraska in line with the rest of the nation.

“When we vote for president of the United States, it’s the most important thing we do for democracy,” he told Channel 8. “And we as a people need to keep score the same way.”

Democrats have won the electoral vote in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District in the last two presidential elections.

And the Nebraska Democratic Party gathered outside of the legislative chamber Tuesday to show its disapproval.

The party’s executive chair, Precious Mckesson, said if the bill had passed, it would be like suppressing the voices of the people.

“We do not want winner-take-all,” she said. “We do feel that when you start to suppress the vote of CD2, it’s really taking away that voice for people who go out to vote.”

CJ King, the chair of the Douglas County Democratic Party, said the current voting system keeps our state on the map.

“It’s important for Nebraska,” he said. “We’re relevant, we’re not a fly-over state as a result of this. It brings a lot of money into the districts, I think you can be red or you can be blue, but we’re all green. I think that portion of it needs to be reminded of. We’re in a state where we’re worried about the budget, we’re worried about shortfalls. We can’t do something like this that triggers less revenue into the state.”

Pillen issued a statement after the bill failed.

“I am deeply disappointed that a minority of the Legislature defeated the will of the majority of their colleagues and, more importantly, the majority of Nebraskans by filibustering Winner-Take-All,” he said. “WTA is supported by a substantial majority of the people’s representatives and should have received a fair up-or-down vote.”

But Nebraska Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb said senators “did the right thing.”

“Winner-take-all has no business in our state,” she said in a statement. “Our free and fair split electoral system has been the law of the land for over 30 years and will continue after today.”