Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) said Tuesday that other states should switch to Nebraska's election system but are unlikely to do so, so Nebraska should consider changing its system to winner-take-all after the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
“Well, I think two things are true. One, I think we'd be better off if every state did what we're doing in Nebraska. It would incentivize candidates to campaign in more states and across the country,” Bacon said Tuesday during an appearance on NewsNation's “The Hill.”
“I think it would be good if all the states did it,” he continued. “The problem is we're one of two states that don't, and it creates a lot of problems on my side of Omaha. I think we should do it after the election, do it the right way, and go back to winner-take-all like the other 48 states. Now, if there's a plan to put all 50 states in districts, that's good. I think that would be better. But we're one of two states.”
Nebraska has five electoral votes. Two of those votes are awarded to the winner of the popular vote in the state. The remaining three votes are divided among the state's electoral districts and awarded to the winner of the popular vote in each district. Maine is the only other state that allocates electoral votes in a similar manner.
Bacon's comments came after Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen, a Republican, said Tuesday he would not call a special legislative session to discuss changing the state's electoral system to a winner-take-all system. Pillen's comments on the matter came after key state Republican lawmakers refused to support pushing for the change.
“Senator Mike McDonnell of Omaha has confirmed that he has no intention of voting winner-take-all prior to the 2024 election,” Pillen said in a statement. “This is deeply disappointing to me and many others who have worked diligently to ensure that every Nebraskan's vote is counted equally in this election.”
Republican lawmakers at the local and national levels have abandoned efforts to change the way states distribute their electoral votes to a winner-take-all system.
If Republicans push for voting reform, it would favor the party by eliminating electoral votes from Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District, a state that has been won by Democrats many times.
“Right now, Vice President Harris has already spent $6 million in the district. Former President Trump has spent zero,” Bacon said Tuesday. “This throws all the puzzle into the district. It's not a Republican vs. Democrat race. If every state did this, it would diffuse the issue.”
Bacon, who won reelection in 2022 by less than three percentage points, represents a district that President Biden won in 2020. The four-term lawmaker will face state Sen. Tony Vargas (D), whom he defeated in 2022.
The spending disparity between presidential candidates in the race “will cause volatility all the way down the ranks of candidates. It's probably going to cause you to lose a lot of Republicans that you wouldn't lose otherwise. So put yourself in our shoes: Would you want $6 million to $10 million to be thrown at the other side? The other side is happy to do that, of course they are,” Bacon said, adding, “To me, that's a concern.”
NewsNation is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which also owns The Hill.
