Nebraska lawmakers have moved forward with a proposal to change how the state awards its electoral votes.
On Monday, two measures advanced out of committee—one a bill and the other a constitutional amendment—that would shift Nebraska back to a “winner-take-all” system.
Public hearings on the proposals drew significantly more opposition than support.
For the change to take effect, the bills must pass three rounds of voting before reaching Gov. Jim Pillen’s desk for approval.
Last year, Gov. Pillen considered calling a special session on the issue but lacked the 33 votes needed to break a filibuster.
Following Monday’s advancement, Gov. Pillen issued a statement:
“Winner-Take-All – which would restore unity to Nebraska’s allocation of electoral college votes and strengthen our voice in presidential elections just passed out of the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee and will receive floor consideration by the full Legislature. This is great news for Nebraska, and I’m grateful to Chair Rita Sanders and the great senators who voted to advance WTA for their leadership.”
The Nebraska Democratic Party also responded:
“Nebraska matters in the presidential elections because of our fair electoral vote system. The Republicans who want to take this away, all because of Trump, are so short-sighted. We have a competitive primary for both parties in 2028, and we should all want candidates asking for our votes. That will only happen if we keep the split electoral vote system. Nebraska is unique. Let’s not be like all the rest of the states. Let the other states follow our lead in true representative democracy. We urge Senators from all parties to vote no on the final version of the bills.”
The measures will now be debated by the full Legislature.
