LINCOLN, Neb. (WOWT) – In a statement issued Monday, Nebraska Senator Mike McDonnell said he would not vote for a proposed winner-take-all system for Nebraska’s electoral votes.
As a result, Gov. Jim Pillen doesn’t have the votes to call a special session, after the South Omaha lawmaker made his decision.
“43 days from election day is not the moment to make a change,” McDonnell said.
Senator McDonnell has been under an intense pressure campaign on a national scale.
Last week, Sen. Lindsey Graham invited several Nebraska State Senators to the Governor’s Mansion at former President Trump’s request, trying to make the case why Nebraska should count electoral votes like every other state except Maine does.
With winner-take-all, whoever wins the popular vote in the state gets all the electoral votes.
Nebraska does it a different way, with three of the state’s five electoral votes going to the candidate who wins that specific congressional district, hence the “blue dot” in congressional district two that covers all of Douglas County, some of Sarpy, and all of Saunders.
While Republicans out-register Democrats statewide by a two-to-one margin, the party registrations in Douglas County are more even.
It’s one of the reasons Democrats like Barack Obama received one electoral vote in 2012, and Joe Biden in 2020, even though the Republican candidate carried the state.
“Republicans and Democrats in Omaha know that Omaha, and by extension, the rest of the state, get a lot of attention because of this system,” Bullhorn Communications political consultant Ryan Horn said. “Does anyone think Kamala Harris or Donald Trump would be coming to Omaha if not for this system? Of course they wouldn’t.
Horn said it seemed desperate when Sen. Lindsey Graham came to town last week as a last-ditch effort, likely knowing they didn’t have the votes.
Sen. McDonnell says he shared the news with Gov. Pillen, as Pillen wouldn’t call a session unless he has 33 votes. With McDonnell’s “no” vote, he doesn’t have enough.
MCDONNELL’S FULL STATEMENT
Elections should be an opportunity for all voters to be heard, no matter who they are, where they live, or what party they support. For decades, Nebraska has tried to live up to that ideal by allocating our electoral college votes in a way that gives all Nebraskans an equal voice in choosing our President. For Omaha, the city I love and have called home for 58 years, it brings tremendous national attention, is impactful on our local economy and forces Presidential candidates to make their case to all Nebraskans, instead of just flying over and disregarding us.
In recent weeks, a conversation around whether to change how we allocate our electoral college votes has returned to the forefront. I respect the desire of some of my colleagues to have this discussion, and I have taken time to listen carefully to Nebraskans and national leaders on both sides of the issue. After deep consideration, it is clear to me that right now, 43 days from Election Day, is not the moment to make this change.
I have notified Governor Pillen that I will not change my long-held position and will oppose any attempted changes to our electoral college system before the 2024 election. I also encouraged him and will encourage my colleagues in the Unicameral to pass a constitutional amendment during next year’s session, so that the people of Nebraska can once and for all decide this issue the way it should be decided – on the ballot.
This November, Nebraskans will have the chance to elect candidates at every level who reflect their views, including on this issue. That’s how it should be. Nebraska voters, not politicians of either party, should have the final say on how we pick a President. I want to thank the voters who reached out to me for engaging in democracy and for showing America who Nebraskans are—fiercely independent, filled with pride about our great city of Omaha, and deeply devoted to the promise of American democracy.
Republican Senator and former Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts sent out a statement concerning McDonnell’s statement, saying:
“I’m incredibly disappointed by Senator McDonnell’s opposition to Winner Take All. We should cast our five electoral votes with one voice by switching from a system that dilutes Nebraska’s vote to a system that allows us to elect a President for all Nebraskans.”
Nebraska Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb posted to X thanking the senators voting against winner-take-all.
The 🔵 is protected. Thank you Sen. McDonnell and the other 16 Senators who stood strong. “Nebraska has a long and proud tradition of independence, and our electoral system reflects that by ensuring that the outcome of our elections truly represents the will of the people without… pic.twitter.com/EGOAjgrpbb
— Jane Fleming Kleeb👢🪧🗳️ (@janekleeb) September 23, 2024
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Publish date : 2024-09-23 12:43:00
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