Legislature advances bill to restore Nebraska’s winner-take-all Electoral College method
Source: Omaha World Herald
By Martha Stoddard
LINCOLN Republican lawmakers prevailed Monday in their efforts to return Nebraska to a winner-take-all system of deciding presidential electors.
But the measure has another hurdle to clear before the change could become law.
Legislative Bill 10 cleared second-round consideration after state senators voted 34-15 on a motion to cut off a filibuster. All of the senators voting to end the filibuster were registered Republicans.
Since 1991, Nebraska has decided three of its five Electoral College votes by congressional district. Returning to the previous system has been a priority for the GOP since the change occurred.
FULL story at link.
Read more: http://www.omaha.com/news/legislature/legislature-advances-bill-to-restore-nebraska-s-winner-take-all/article_0467141a-faca-11e5-a3c0-8f6960bebe52.html
I like candidates coming to Nebraska and spending $ here. You would think the conservatives would too.
keithbvadu2
(37,053 posts)so that it is not beneficial to any group immediately.
mvymvy
(309 posts)hibbing
(10,116 posts)I have a feeling this is the reason why. I think more states should split them instead of winner take all.
Peace
davidpdx
(22,000 posts)The main reason he did was that voter turnout was so high in 2008 and there was a lot of energy in that campaign. The only differences between 2008 and 2012 were the one CD in Nebraska, Indiana, and North Carolina. Given he held the rest of the states (including DC) it wasn't that big of a deal. Now I think if Sanders got the nomination there might be the groundswell needed to win that CD. I guess it won't matter since they are going to change it back to the old way.
mvymvy
(309 posts)The 2008 presidential campaigns did not pay the slightest attention to the people of Nebraska's reliably Republican 1st and 3rd congressional districts because it was a foregone conclusion that McCain would win the most popular votes in both of those districts. The issues relevant to voters of the 2nd district (the Omaha area) mattered, while the (very different) issues relevant to the remaining (mostly rural) 2/3rds of the state were irrelevant.
In 2012, the whole state was ignored.
74% of Nebraska voters support a national popular vote for President
In Maine, where they award electoral votes by congressional district, the closely divided 2nd congressional district received campaign events in 2008 (whereas Maine's 1st reliably Democratic district was ignored).
In 2012, the whole state was ignored.
77% of Maine voters support a national popular vote for President
Dividing more states electoral votes by congressional district winners would magnify the worst features of the Electoral College system.
If the district approach were used nationally, it would be less fair and less accurately reflect the will of the people than the current system. In 2004, Bush won 50.7% of the popular vote, but 59% of the districts. Although Bush lost the national popular vote in 2000, he won 55% of the country's congressional districts. In 2012, the Democratic candidate would have needed to win the national popular vote by more than 7 percentage points in order to win the barest majority of congressional districts. In 2014, Democrats would have needed to win the national popular vote by a margin of about nine percentage points in order to win a majority of districts.
In 2012, for instance, when Obama garnered nearly a half million more votes in Michigan than Romney, Romney won nine of the states 14 congressional districts.
Nationwide, there are now only 10 "battleground" districts that are expected to be competitive in the 2016 presidential election. With the present deplorable 48 state-level winner-take-all system, 38+ states (including California and Texas) are ignored in presidential elections; however, 98% of the nation's congressional districts would be ignored if a district-level winner-take-all system were used nationally
The district approach would not provide incentive for presidential candidates to poll, visit, advertise, and organize in a particular state or focus the candidates' attention to issues of concern to the state.
Awarding electoral votes by congressional district could result in no candidate winning the needed majority of electoral votes. That would throw the process into Congress to decide the election, regardless of the popular vote in any district or state or throughout the country.
Because there are generally more close votes on district levels than states as whole, district elections increase the opportunity for error. The larger the voting base, the less opportunity there is for an especially close vote.
Also, a second-place candidate could still win the White House without winning the national popular vote.
A national popular vote is the way to make every person's vote equal and matter to their candidate because it guarantees that the candidate who gets the most votes in all 50 states and DC becomes President.
jwirr
(39,215 posts)who wins if that is passed?
mvymvy
(309 posts)When Obama won the 2nd district (the Omaha area) in Nebraska in 2008, he did not win the statewide vote.
jwirr
(39,215 posts)Or am I mistaken?
mvymvy
(309 posts)One-sixth of the U.S. population lives in the top 100 cities, and they voted 63% Democratic in 2004.
One-sixth lives outside the nations Metropolitan Statistical Areas, and rural America voted 60% Republican.
The remaining four-sixths live in the suburbs, which divide almost exactly equally.
mvymvy
(309 posts)A survey of Nebraska voters showed 67% overall support for a national popular vote for President.
Support by political affiliation was 78% among Democrats, 62% among Republicans, and 63% among others.
By congressional district, support for a national popular vote was 65% in the 1st congressional district, 66% in the 2nd district (which voted for Obama in 2008); and 72% in the 3rd District.
By gender, support for a national popular vote was 76% among women and 59% among men.
By age, support for a national popular vote, 73% among 1829 year-olds, 67% among 3045 year-olds, 65% among 4665 year-olds, and 69% among those older than 65.
In a 2nd question with a 3-way choice among methods of awarding electoral votes,
* 16% favored the statewide winner-take-all system (i.e., awarding all five electoral votes to the candidate who receives the most votes statewide)
* 27% favored the current system
* 57% favored a national popular vote
Support by political affiliation for a national popular vote was still 65% among Democrats, 53% among Republicans, and 51% among others.
http://www.NationalPopularVote.com
mvymvy
(309 posts)The National Popular Vote bill would guarantee the presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in the country.
Every vote, everywhere, would be politically relevant and equal in every presidential election. No more distorting and divisive red and blue state maps of pre-determined outcomes. There would no longer be a handful of 'battleground' states (where the two major political parties happen to have similar levels of support among voters) where voters and policies are more important than those of the voters in 38+ predictable states that have just been 'spectators' and ignored after the conventions.
The National Popular Vote bill would take effect when enacted by states with a majority of the electoral votes270 of 538.
All of the presidential electors from the enacting states will be supporters of the presidential candidate receiving the most popular votes in all 50 states (and DC)thereby guaranteeing that candidate with an Electoral College majority.
The bill has passed 34 state legislative chambers in 23 rural, small, medium, large, Democratic, Republican and purple states with 261 electoral votes, including one house in Arizona (11), Arkansas (6), Maine (4), Michigan (16), Nevada (6), New Mexico (5), North Carolina (15), and Oklahoma (7), and both houses in Colorado (9). The bill has been enacted by 11 small, medium, and large jurisdictions with 165 electoral votes 61% of the 270 necessary to go into effect.
http://www.NationalPopularVote.com