The Public Pulse: Nebraskans are grateful Electoral College system will remain in 2024

Editor's Note: Today's Public Pulse letters are all in reaction to State Sen. Mike McDonnell confirming his support for the way Nebraska currently awards its Electoral College votes and Gov. Jim Pillen's decision not to call a special session to change the state to winner-take-all.

The choice of the people

My thanks to State Sen. Mike McDonnell for resisting the pressure from former President Donald Trump, South Carolina U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, Gov. Jim Pillen, Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert, and all of Nebraska's Republican congressmembers and senators to change Nebraska's voting method to a winner-take-all electoral vote from our current process of splitting three of the five electoral votes by congressional district. Even U.S. Rep. Don Bacon has stated that Nebraska's current system is more democratic. Despite that, he went on to say that Nebraska should be like the other states for consistency. If Nebraska's process is more democratic then, maybe, the other states should adopt Nebraska's method!

The Electoral College is already skewed in favor of the smaller population states. The winner-take-all method just makes the Electoral College even more undemocratic. It disenfranchises millions of Republican and Democratic voters in presidential elections. Of course it isn't lost on Republicans that Donald Trump won in 2016 despite losing the general vote. I agree with McDonnell that deciding how Nebraska chooses its electoral votes should be a choice by the people in a referendum and not by partisan politicians.

Randall Greer,

Preserving our voice

I'm writing to support Sen. Mike McDonnell and Sen. Tom Brandt in their efforts to preserve the independent electoral vote for the 2nd Congressional District. Those that are shouting for the "winner-take-all" would effectively make it pointless for any Democrat to ever again vote in a presidential race in 2nd District. While U.S. Rep. Don Bacon and others seemingly are only concerned with Nebraska being seen as an "outlier" and having "one voice," they would silence every Democratic voice in the entire state on the most important votes and questions posed to our nation.

McDonnell and Brandt preserved our voice at the voting booth. Thank you for not letting current pressure force you to disenfranchise the non-majority voters of Nebraska.

Peggy Shaffer,

Disappointed in Gov. Jim Pillen

I just read the announcement by Gov. Jim Pillen regarding not landing enough support to "secure a filibuster-proof 33-vote majority to get winner-take-all passed before the November election." (Sept. 25) Thank you, Sen. McDonnell, for listening to all of the people in Nebraska, and for not supporting winner-take-all for Nebraska at this time.

I am disappointed in the governor for his apparent indifference to the majority of voters in the 2nd Congressional District. I'm astounded at Pillen's comment, that he — and others — "have worked so earnestly to ensure all Nebraskans' votes are sought after equally this election." What on earth does he mean? I personally felt like he and everyone else (i.e., U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, U.S. Sens. Pete Ricketts, Deb Fischer, Lindsey Graham, who isn't even from Nebraska, and former President Donald Trump, who was politically motivated) worked hard to erase my vote with winner-take-all. Shame on them!

Erin C. Arellano,

My vote has meaning

Thank you, Mike McDonnell, for continuing your support for the current system of allocating Nebraska's electoral votes. As a Democrat in the 2nd District, I'm glad that my vote has meaning. Sometimes a blue dot — sometimes not. I wish that all states would do this. It would level the field in both red and blue states, and candidates would have to pay more attention to more districts and not just focus on swing states to collect the required electoral votes. I have a Republican son who lives in a Republican district in California. He never votes for a presidential candidate. Why bother? California is a blue state — winner take all. Maybe the Nebraska Republicans should go to California and argue for splitting their electoral votes.

Birte Gerlings,

Other states should be more like Nebraska

I am a registered nonpartisan voter in rural 2nd District and I want to commend Sen. Mike McDonnell for standing strong against changing our current presidential voting system.

Apportioning electoral college votes is the fairest way to represent all voters and should be adopted nationwide. It has always been my belief that the every state in the union should change their systems to be more like the ones used by Nebraska and Maine.

When you are doing it right and others are doing it wrong, you don't change to conform to the wrong way. You encourage others to follow your example.

Thank you, Senator McDonnell, for continuing to do the right thing in the face of political pressure.

Nancy Meyer,

Cedar Bluffs, Nebraska

Trying to remove the Blue Dot

Contrary to Governor Jim Pillen's claim, he and so many others have worked earnestly, and in fact diligently, to ensure that a segment of Nebraskans' votes could never be "sought after equally" because they would be dismissed.

It seems there is nothing Pillen and his cohorts could do that would be more antithetical to the promise and purpose of the United States of America than the course they have taken and, I have no doubt, again will pursue.

James Reed,

Our state's devotion

It is not helpful when our entire congressional delegation, and most in our statehouse, attempt to squander the unique reputation our state enjoys due to our unicameral and our system of delegating electoral college votes. This all brings attention and money into our state. Are they doing this purely for fealty to Donald Trump at the expense of our Nebraska citizenry?

Esquire Magazine said it best: "... the Republicans clearly underestimated a state's devotion to its own eccentricities. The unicameral is one of those in Nebraska. The method of awarding Nebraska electoral votes is another."

Dan Emanuel,

Do it like Nebraska

Why do just a few states get to determine who becomes president of the United States? I think every state should award their electoral votes the same way Nebraska does.

Mary Gibson, Norfolk, Nebraska

Respect the popular vote

Living in a state where my vote for president actually counts has been a point of civic pride for me, my family, friends, and neighbors over the course of the last decade. To know that our vote makes a difference gets us fired up for presidential elections and delivers us to the polls.

Voter turnout in the United States is perennially low. Perhaps this is in direct relation to how disenfranchised the populace feels, with the winner-take-all electoral awards in most states. Imagine if all states allowed each of their congressional districts to reflect that district's popular vote.

Lindsey Graham's feckless attempt to steal the vote in Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District is unconscionable. Thank you to Sen. Mike McDonnell for recognizing this.

The rest of the country should be looking at ways to allow the popular vote into their electoral results. Nebraska and Maine have figured it out. Nebraska's electoral system does not need to be fixed, this nation's outmoded way of electing presidents does. It's high time that the popular vote be respected and acknowledged. Other states should be considering how they can emulate our system.

Lisa Kammerer,

Sen. Mike McDonnell stands strong

I am delighted to know that we Nebraskans have a legislator, Mike McDonnell, who realizes we voters are individuals not lemmings. In my own way of thinking, there is no logical reason for Nebraska to follow the winner-take-all mentality of other states. Thank you, Mike McDonnell.

Vicki Cork,