State lawmakers have delayed deciding on a bill that ties the fate of Maine’s unique method of distributing its electoral votes to whatever happens in Nebraska, the only other state in the country that does not have a winner-take-all system.
Instead, both states distribute them in accordance with their congressional districts, meaning that the winner in each House district is awarded an electoral vote, while the overall winner is given the two statewide electoral votes.
Currently, however, an effort is underway in Nebraska to do away with this system, which was first adopted there in 1996, more than twenty years after Maine pioneered it in 1972.
In recent years, Maine’s use of this system has allowed the predominately red second district a voice in an otherwise blue state, while the opposite has been true in Nebraska.
Nebraska’s second district is largely Democratic due to its inclusion of the City of Omaha, while the rest of Nebraska is known to lean Republican.
[RELATED: Should Maine Tie the Fate of Its Unique Electoral Vote Distribution System to Nebraska?]
This new push to move toward a winner-take-all system in Nebraska has primarily been led by Republican lawmakers, including Gov. Jim Pillen (R-NE) and other GOP leaders in the state.
Sponsored by Auburn Democrat Rep. Adam Lee, LD 1356 was designed to serve as a foil to this effort, as it would effectively neutralize the electoral impact of any change made in Nebraska.
Rep. Lee explained during a public hearing that his bill is intended to serve as a deterrent to those in Nebraska hoping to alter the state’s method for allocating electoral votes, a position predicated on the assumption that this movement is largely, if not entirely, politically motivated.
In early 2024, President Donald Trump (R) expressed support for seeing Nebraska revert to a winner-take-all system.
“Most Nebraskans have wanted to go back to this system for a very long time, because it’s what 48 other States do – It’s what the Founders intended, and it’s right for Nebraska,” President Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social at the time. “Thank you Governor for your bold leadership. Let’s hope the Senate does the right thing.”
At the time, then House Majority Leader Maureen Terry (D-Gorham) vowed to follow suit and adopt a winner-take-all system as well if Nebraska went down that path, cancelling out the effect that such a change could be expected to have on electoral vote totals.
To date, there has been no outright push for Maine to adopt a winner-take-all system. If successful, however, LD 1356 would automatically tie the fate of Maine’s vote allocation method to Nebraska’s.
In other words, this bill would open the door for Maine’s system to be changed without any attempt ever having been made in the state to do so. It would also preclude lawmakers from having the opportunity to debate any such effort if one were to be launched in the future.
A late-May vote by the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee revealed that lawmakers were divided over this bill, with the majority of members opposing its passage. Just four of the Committee’s Democratic members voted in support of advancing LD 1356.
On June 2, the House tabled LD 1356, leaving it as unfinished business right up until they adjourned on Wednesday evening.
Because the Legislature did not make a final decision on this bill before wrapping up their session, LD 1356 was carried over to the next special or regular session of the 132nd Legislature.
