LINCOLN — LINCOLN, Neb. (KMTV) – A Nebraska organization announced a campaign to change how the state awards its electoral votes, pushing for a winner-take-all system that would align Nebraska with 48 other states.
- Advocates for All Nebraskans launched a petition drive for a constitutional amendment to implement winner-take-all electoral votes.
- The organization also announced a second amendment proposal requiring hand-counted ballots, which would mandate all votes be counted by hand and prohibit electronic counting machines.
- The organization is also launched additional petition drives for property tax reform and establishing base salaries for teachers.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
A Nebraska organization announced a campaign to change how the state awards its electoral votes, pushing for a winner-take-all system that would align Nebraska with 48 other states.
Advocates for All Nebraskans unveiled their petition drive to gather signatures for a constitutional amendment that would award all of the state's electoral votes to the candidate who wins Nebraska, rather than the current system that can split electoral votes by congressional district.
Former state Republican Party chair Eric Underwood, who now leads the organization, said the change would restore Nebraska's "unified voice" in presidential elections.
"In the end if we are able to get the signatures and if it is able to go on the ballots, the voice of the people will be heard. I think all that lines up with what Nebraskans want," Underwood said.
The issue gained significant attention during the previous election cycle when then-candidate Donald Trump and allies including Governor Pete Pillen pushed state lawmakers to change the electoral vote system. That legislative effort failed.
If the petition campaign collects enough signatures, Nebraska voters would decide the issue directly through a ballot measure.
The organization also announced plans for a second constitutional amendment requiring hand-counted ballots. This measure would mandate all ballots be counted by hand and prohibit the use of electronic counting machines.
Kirk Penner with Advocates for All Nebraskans said the hand-count initiative aims to make Nebraska a leader in election security.
"This initiative is unique because it seeks to make Nebraska a national leader in election protection. This petition simply codifies the most secure and publicly verifiable method of counting votes," Penner said.
Underwood said the next step involves collecting donations to fund the labor-intensive work of gathering petition signatures. The organization is also launching additional petition drives for property tax reform and establishing base salaries for teachers.
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