Republicans received an ultimatum about their efforts to change the way Nebraska allocates its Electoral College votes to benefit former President Donald Trump.
Nebraska and Maine are the only two states that do not use a winner-take-all electoral system in presidential elections. In those states, a presidential candidate is rewarded with two electoral votes for winning statewide, as well as one vote for each Congressional district they carry.
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Some conservatives in Nebraska have pushed for a change to that system, arguing it does not best represent the will of Nebraskans. Although the state is solidly Republican, Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District, based around Omaha, is viewed as more competitive. President Joe Biden won in 2020 despite Trump winning the state overall.
This change would give Republicans a slight advantage in the Electoral College, as there are plausible scenarios where the split votes could be a tiebreaker in favor of Biden.
However, a key Maine Democrat issued a warning about how the Pine Tree State may respond if Nebraska changes their electoral system.
In a statement first reported by Vox’s Andrew Prokop, Maine House Majority Leader Maureen Terry said lawmakers would consider following Nebraska by also moving to a winner-take-all system in that scenario.
“If Nebraska’s Republican Governor and Republican-controlled Legislature were to change their electoral system this late in the cycle in order to unfairly award Donald Trump an additional electoral vote, I think the Maine Legislature would be compelled to act in order to restore fairness to our country’s electoral system,” she wrote.
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Newsweek reached out to Terry’s office via email for comment.
Maine is generally viewed as having a Democratic lean, last voting for a Republican presidential candidate in 1988.
But Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, which contains the vast rural northern of the state, is more conservative than the state overall, backing Trump by about 7 percentage points in 2020.
If Maine were to change electoral systems, that district would then be won by the candidate who wins the state overall. Biden is viewed as favored in Maine, though Democrats typically win by smaller margins than Republicans in Nebraska.
Both competitive districts in Maine and Nebraska split their votes in 2020. While Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District voted for Biden, it is represented by GOP Representative Don Bacon. Maine’s 2nd Congressional District supported Trump but is represented by Democratic Representative Jared Golden.
Republicans in Nebraska have previously rejected the efforts to change the electoral system, but Governor Jim Pillen has said he would be open to calling a special legislative session on “unfinished business” including moving the state to a winner-take-all system if the efforts have enough votes, according to a report from The Nebraska Examiner.
Newsweek reached out to Pillen’s office via email for comment.
