LINCOLN — Nebraska will keep its split electoral vote system for at least another year, thanks to a split vote in a legislative committee.
The Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee was divided 4-4 in a straw vote on changing the system, State Sen. Bill Avery of Lincoln, the committee chairman, said Thursday.
The informal vote marked the latest defeat for Republican efforts to return Nebraska to a winner-take-all system of awarding electoral votes.
Sen. Beau McCoy of Omaha introduced the latest proposal, Legislative Bill 21.
Since 1991, three of Nebraska's five votes have been decided by congressional district. The two others go to the winner of the statewide popular vote.
During the 2008 presidential election, Nebraska became the first state in modern times to split its electoral votes.
The vote representing the Omaha-area 2nd District went to Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential candidate, while the two other districts' went to Republican John McCain.
In other action, the committee advanced a watered-down version of a bill requiring that most voters show identification before casting a ballot.
As amended, LB 239 would require voters to show government-issued photo identification or a voter registration acknowledgment notice.
The notices are postcards or letters mailed when people first register to vote or change their registration for any reason.
Under the bill, counties would have to send new notices to all registered voters who do not have a driver's license or state identification card.
Voters without identification could cast a provisional ballot. Election officials would then verify the person's eligibility to vote.
Identification would not be required for early ballots or elections conducted by mail.
Contact the writer:
402-473-9583, martha.stoddard@owh.com
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