Today, a bill that sought to end Nebraska’s system of splitting Electoral College votes failed to get enough support to move forward.
The vote on LB 3 follows a January hearing where the vast majority of testifiers - Nebraskans from across the political spectrum - opposed plans to replace Nebraska’s split electoral vote with a winner-take-all approach. An American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska staff member was among the more than 60 opponents who testified live urging senators to preserve the current system, which awards two electoral votes to whichever presidential candidate earns the most votes statewide and a single electoral vote to the winner in each of Nebraska’s three congressional districts.
ACLU of Nebraska Executive Director Mindy Rush Chipman made this statement on today’s vote:
“The public outcry made a difference,” Rush Chipman said. “Fortunately, enough of our lawmakers sided with voters today. Those state senators have our gratitude, and that is particularly true for those who made the case against LB 3 on the floor today. The bottom line is that Nebraskans with very different politics agree and appreciate that our system gives us all a more direct say on the outcome of presidential elections. Today’s vote preserves an approach that has encouraged turnout for more than 30 years, and hopefully will continue to do so for many years to come. We will keep working with partners, supporters and allies in the Legislature to make sure all of our state senators fully understand the importance of putting voters’ voices over partisan politics.”
LR 24CA, a constitutional amendment that would ask voters to end the split electoral vote system, is out of committee but lacks a priority designation, making it unlikely it will be up for debate this year. Session is set to end in June.
