Nebraska will continue to split electoral votes in presidential elections

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A bill to make Nebraska’s method of awarding presidential electoral votes a winner-take-all system failed to survive a filibuster Tuesday after two Republican lawmakers broke with their own party.

The bill’s failure preserves the Omaha area’s “blue dot” congressional district that has seen its electoral vote — one of Nebraska’s five — go to Democratic candidates in three of the past five presidential elections.

Republican Sen. Merv Riepe, of Ralston, followed through on his promise not to support the winner-take-all proposal, despite a full-court press by Gov. Jim Pillen to apply public pressure on him. That included a written statement from the governor on Monday for Riepe to stand “with his fellow Republicans on this critical issue.” Pillen also highlighted Riepe’s prior votes over the years to support a change to winner-take-all.

But Riepe, whose legislative district is almost evenly split between Republicans and Democrats, reiterated that the winner-take-all system is “a poison pill for my district.” Riepe faces reelection next year if he decides to run for another term.

-snip-

By MARGERY A. BECK
Updated 8:21 PM EDT, April 8, 2025



Read more: https://apnews.com/article/nebraska-winner-take-all-bill-electoral-votes-ccf51606a3cd7ea9676442993c3ae368

[mahina]

1. Cool, thank you.