In the United States, elections are won not by popular vote, but instead a system called the Electoral College. 48 of the states and Washington D.C. send all of their electoral votes to the candidate who wins statewide.
Then there’s Nebraska and Maine.
Both states use the congressional district method, meaning these states split their vote. 2 of the electoral votes are allocated to the winner of the statewide vote, and then one vote is given to the popular vote winner in each congressional district (2 in Maine, 3 in Nebraska).
This split vote has given way to what is known as the “Blue Dot” in Nebraska, a small area (Congressional District 2) in the consistently red state that has on the rare occasion given it’s electoral vote to the democratic candidate.
Although Nebraska enacted this rule in 1992, the first time the vote split was in 2008 for President Barack Obama.
The 2024 Presidential Election
Since then, the blue dot has garnered Nebraska more attention from candidates in both parties vying to win over the district, with rallies occurring in the state from both the Trump and Harris campaigns in 2024.
At the same time, signs began popping up around the second congressional district with the image of a blue dot on them.
These signs, which were started by Omaha resident Jason Brown, popped up all over the city. Eventually, counter-signs of a red dot started appearing as well, showcasing how split voters were in the state.
Small But Mighty
The boundaries of congressional districts are determined by the state legislator, with one of the only guidelines being that districts must have nearly equal population.
Nebraska’s second congressional district (the “Blue Dot”) occupies Douglas, Saunders, and Sarpy county.
According to Nebraska Farm Bureau, 89.4% of Nebraska’s area is farmland, which occupies much of the third congressional district whom votes consistently republican.
According to World Population Review, one of three Nebraskans live in its two major cities, Omaha and Lincoln, with Omaha in the second district and Lincoln in the third. Even though Nebraska’s blue dot on a map is tiny, it represents a large part of the state’s population.
The GOP has been fighting to switch Nebraska back to a winner-take-all state for years, with multiple bills being proposed but failing to pass.
The winner-take-all effort reached a high during the last campaign cycle, with right-wing activists calling for the state’s electoral system to be changed back.
In January of this year, Senator Lippincott introduced a bill at the request of Governor Jim Pillen to restore Nebraska to a winner-take-all system.
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