Nebraska and Maine may divide their electoral votes. Here’s the process behind it.

In the United States, the method for awarding presidential electoral votes differs among states. While forty-eight states and Washington, D.C., allocate all their electoral votes to the candidate who secures the most votes statewide, Nebraska and Maine adopt a unique approach.

Both states distribute two electoral votes to the overall winner in the state and one electoral vote to the victor in each of their congressional districts. Nebraska boasts three congressional districts, resulting in a total of five electoral votes, while Maine has two congressional districts, giving it four electoral votes overall.

Despite Nebraska typically leaning Republican in statewide contests, there is a possibility for a Democratic candidate to capture one electoral vote from the 2nd Congressional District, which encompasses Omaha, a city with a more liberal electorate. Notably, Barack Obama was the first Democrat to obtain an electoral vote from Nebraska’s 2nd District in 2008, followed by President Joe Biden in 2020 during the subsequent presidential election.

In a hypothetical scenario where Vice President Kamala Harris secures victories in key states like Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin but falls short in other competitive regions, obtaining the electoral vote from Nebraska’s 2nd District would be crucial for her path to the presidency.

Earlier this year, some Republican lawmakers in Nebraska attempted to modify the state law to similarly award all electoral votes to the statewide winner, following the example set by the majority of the nation. However, this proposal did not survive, as a leading figure within the state’s GOP opposed the change.

On the other hand, Maine tends to lean Democratic in statewide elections, yet the 2nd Congressional District remains a battleground where Republicans are competitive. In both the 2016 and 2020 elections, although Democrats won the state overall, Donald Trump, the former president, managed to secure the district’s sole electoral vote on each occasion.

To claim the presidency, a candidate must amass at least 270 out of the total 538 electoral votes available across the nation.