Nebraska's 'blue dot' captures national headlines, last-minute push to erase it

Nebraska doesn't get many national headlines about politics, but a recent, last-minute push by major Republicans to get the state to ditch its unique system of awarding electoral votes for president did just that.

Former President Donald Trump and leading GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham were among those applying the pressure recently to return to a "winner-take-all" system.

Only Nebraska and Maine don't give all of its electoral votes to the statewide winner of the popular vote for president.

Instead, Nebraska's five electoral votes are divided up – two for the overall winner, and one each to the top vote-getter in the state's three congressional districts.

It's been the system since 1992, as the result of a bill sponsored by State Sen. DiAnna Schimek of Lincoln. She reasoned that local voters would have more of a voice in presidential elections if some electoral votes were awarded by congressional district. 

Twice since then, the state's electoral votes have been divided - in 2020 President Joe Biden won a single electoral vote in Omaha's 2nd Congressional District, and in 2008 Barack Obama grabbed the blue dot on his way to becoming president. 

Then, as now, the unique system brought more national publicity and campaigning to Nebraska, which would be a political fly-over state otherwise.

Heck, last week saw U.S. Rep. Mike Flood interviewed on CNN, and Jane Kleeb, the head of the Nebraska Democrats on MSNBC.

This year, the blue dot could decide what is expected to be a very close election.

Under one scenario, if Vice President Kamala Harris wins the so-called "blue wall" battleground states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, and then Trump wins the four southern battleground states of North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada, Harris would have 269 electoral votes and Trump 268. It takes 270 to win, thus the race could come down to the blue dot of Nebraska. 

Hundreds of blue dot signs have sprung up in the Omaha area this year, punctuating the area's potential significance.

Of course, Republicans would like to return to a winner-take-all system because Trump – and frankly any Republican – is a sure bet to win in bright-red Nebraska and then get all its electoral votes.

(By the way, if there is a tie in the electoral college votes of 269-269, the choice of president falls to the newly elected members of the House of Representatives, with each state's contingent getting one vote. The U.S. Senate would choose the vice president.)

This spring, despite some personal lobbying by Trump, according to a story in the Nebraska Examiner, the State legislature didn't take up a bill to scrap the blue dot. There just weren't the 33 votes needed to fend off a filibuster and pass a bill to return to winner take all.

Gov. Jim Pillen recognized that, and declined to call a special session to take up winner-take-all legislation. If you don't have the votes, holding a special session is a waste of time (as we saw, for the most part, with the special session this summer on property taxes).

But Republicans mounted another effort to eliminate the blue dot recently, only about six weeks before the November election.

The state's all-Republican congressional delegation urged state senators to scrap it so that Nebraska could "speak with a united voice in presidential elections."

Graham visited the state and met with Pillen and a group of GOP state senators. And Trump got on the phone to Nebraska once again.

But after the 11th hour push, Pillen admitted that 33 votes are still lacking.

Omaha State Sen. Mike McDonnell, who switched parties earlier this year from Democrat to Republican, was viewed as possibly ready to flip his vote on winner-take-all from "no" to "yes."

But McDonnell, who wants to run for mayor in Omaha, confirmed recently that he remains opposed to switching.

Allowing the blue dot in Omaha, he said, "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."

It's hard to argue with that.

Yes, the blue dot might decide this year's presidential race.

But wouldn't we Nebraskans feel better if some level-headed Cornhuskers helped decide who sits in the White House rather than sitting on the sidelines and letting others decide?

Paul Hammel has covered the Nebraska state government and the state for decades. He retired in April as senior contributor with the Nebraska Examiner. He was previously with the Omaha World-Herald, Lincoln Journal Star and Omaha Sun.  A native of Ralston, he loves traveling and writing about the state.