Nebraska governor won’t call special session to change Electoral College system

Washington — Nebraska’s Republican Gov. Jim Pillen said Tuesday he would not call a special session to change how the state awards Electoral College votes before the November election. 

It’s a setback for former President Donald Trump, who was all but certain to benefit under a winner-take-all allocation. 

“My team and I have worked relentlessly to secure a filibuster-proof 33-vote majority to get winner-take-all passed before the November election,” Pillen said in a statement. “Unfortunately, we could not persuade 33 state senators.” 

State Sen. Mike McDonnell, a Democrat-turned-Republican from Omaha, announced his opposition to the move on Monday, which meant Republicans would come up short unless a Democrat or independent were to defect. 

“In recent weeks, a conversation around whether to change how we allocate our Electoral College votes has returned to the forefront,” he said in a statement. “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.” 

Nebraska allocates three of its five electoral votes based on the winner in each of the state’s three congressional districts. The presidential candidate who wins the statewide popular vote receives the remaining two. 

Republicans have recently sought to change the system to winner-take-all, which would have denied Vice President Kamala Harris one electoral vote from Nebraska’s 2nd District. The district, which includes Omaha, is more competitive than the rest of the state, which is solidly Republican. President Biden won the district in 2020 and former President Barack Obama carried it in 2008. 

McDonnell proposed having an eventual vote on a constitutional amendment to change the how the state awards its Electoral College votes.

Pillen said McDonnell’s decision was “profoundly disappointing.”