Nebraska’s Blue Point Defenders come into force against the winner of everyone in the hearing-Fremont Tribune

A crowd of witnesses is waiting to speak on Thursday to the Committee on Government, Military and Veterans on legislature on the proposals to displace the way the state awards the votes of its election college. (Tom Becca’s courtesy)

Lincoln – The unprecedented ones came out on a large issue on Thursday to criticize – but most of all, the state’s unusual system for awarding votes to the President President President President.

The State Senator Rita Sanders of Belvue, chairman of the Committee on Government, Military and Veterans, expected crowded crowds and made room for them in a neighboring room and hall.

But many possible evidence remains before they speak, some expressing dissatisfaction with long lines. Many of those who have remained represent political parties or civic groups.

The differences were tangible in the first public hearing on the issue without the urgency of pressure related to the 2024 election by President Donald Trump or his surrogate campaign.

The main among the differences on Thursday were the composition of the witnesses: this time more people spoke in support of the preservation of the current method of the area for awarding electoral votes than testified against it.

Last year, Trump spoke with the state -owned Nebraska senators, and local consultants helped his campaign. At that time, both parties were worried that the Omaha area could interrupt a national equality at the election college.

Trump was still a factor this week, with fears of the president’s dissatisfaction motivated by governor Jim Pilen before the possible GOP primary race in 2026 with Trump Top Charles Herbster.

Legislative Bill 3 of the State Senator Loren Lipinkot from Central City will transfer Nebraska to award all five of the voting of the winner’s state throughout the country of voting of the People’s President.

Nebraska and Maine, unique to the countries, assign a single election vote to the winner of voting of the People’s President in every congress district. The other 48 countries award all the votes of the winner across the country, often called the “winner of all.”

Legislative resolution 24CA, proposed amendment to the Constitution by State Senator Maron Dorn of Adams, would make voters consider such a change.

The Pillen Policy Director, Kenny Zoeller, testifies in support of LP-LB of Lippincott. He claims that the unprecedented ones should move to the winner-grabbing and have to retain the flexibility to change again in the future, which Zoler said that a constitutional amendment such as Dorn 24CA’s LR 24CA would not allow it.

“The promised benefits of this system are exaggerated or simply not fulfilled,” Zoler said.

Most Republicans who spoke have supported decades of the Republican Nebraska Party to focus on the victorious.

Most Democrats supported the change of the Democratic Party in Nebraska since the 1990s under the former governor Ben Nelson, who divided the votes of the state.

And some unprecedented party and geography, including Warren Phelps, chairman of the GOP of Cheyenne County, who said he wanted to preserve the district system so that the village Republics in the 3rd Congress region always have a voice.

He said that the majority of GOP in the officially non -partisan legislation should look at the changing demographics in the country and the growth of the population in the Omaha and Lincoln regions.

He said Republicans could one day evaluate the region’s system if the state blues increased over time. He said he and other village Republicans did not “want to be drowned.”

“Competition is doing all better,” Phelps said, adding that GOP has to compete for Omaha voices. “It forces candidates to come up with ideas. Ideas that … help the whole country. “

Ron Cunningham, who has defined himself as a longtime Republican, claims that no one should ask for other people’s votes to count less and that the regional system is working.

“Republicans continue to speak and encourage unity and justice, but they do not want these votes to count,” Kenningham said.

Michael Tideman, a Republican of Sarpi County, said the state GOP wanted the change to reduce the amount of external costs for Nebraska elections, including the presidential race.

He said the preservation of the so-called “blue point” would lead to greater competition during a redistribution to Gerimander, based in Omaha 2 Congress, which is ready for picking up.

He pointed to the suburban, Serban and Rural district Washington as an example of what could happen. This district has been in all three state -owned regions of US houses in recent decades.

“This area was a political experiment that didn’t make sense in the 1990s and made no sense in 2025,” Tidman said. “Please remove this bill from the committee.”

Jeanne Relegg, a former candidate for Madison legislation, who is the director of GOP’s government relations, said external costs concentrated more money and power in the East.

She said that small rural communities and their needs are too often drowned by the national and local focus on reporting from the 2nd Congress at the 2nd Congress.

“It hurts,” Relegle said. “They reduce. Very few village senators remain. And very few others participate in agriculture. ”

Liz Abel, who lives on the Blue Dot territory in Omaha, said he was supporting the winner. The Republican stated that the division of Nebraska’s electoral votes “ignites our electorate” and adds divisions between rural and urban Nebraska.

She also said she would like to get less mail for Democrat campaigns such as former President Joe Biden or non -partisans as former US Senate candidate Dan Osborne. She said she hoped to get rid of the district system at Ruby Red Republican Nebraska could make Democrats spend their money elsewhere.

“I believe that dividing the vote is reducing the influence of our country,” Abel said.

Preston Love, Jr., a northern Omaha civil rights activist, who is running for the US Senate as a Democrat, said the majority’s move was feeling about him and others as suppressing voters.

He sounded statements from the traces of the campaign, where he said that black-brown unprecedented ones are already voting with lower numbers and will get rid of the voting voices at the regional level will suppress turnout.

The Democrats and Republicans divided the last five presidential elections in the 2nd counties, with the Democrats winning the district in 2024, 2020 and 2008, and the Republicans won it in 2016 and 2012.

Republicans win all over the country every time.

“Listen to a segment of your community, your country, an entire congress area, to let our voices count,” Lyub said. “I think everyone in Congress County 2 feels that way.

“Do you just ignore us?”

Melina Arojo, who said she was talking to a legislative committee for the first time, told Senators Nebraska not to change what he was doing in a good way from others.

She said that the voters are taking advantage of the attention that turns to a country that will in no other way qualify as a state of swing. Republicans are superior to Democrats more than 2 to 1, with neopartic growing.

She said the district system “guarantees that the voices of all unprecedented ones are heard.” Ariyo claims that the voters of any political persuasion feel more engaged here.

“This shows that we value diversity and justice in the way the votes are reviewed and count,” she said.

Lipinkot, a Republican, said he was encouraged to see turnout, that she was showing a government for people. He claims that “the presence of a winner is unifying.”

Dorn said he would support Lippincott’s bill, but that his proposed amendment to the Constitution should be treated as a reserve position in the event that LB 3 stalls.

State Senator John Cavano of Omaha, Democrat, said there was nothing unifying about wanting to “reduce the value of these people’s votes.”

The Government Committee still has to vote whether to move the measures to the legislative floor. This vote may come on Friday.

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