Former President Donald Trump is intensifying efforts to capture an Electoral College vote from Nebraska, which could be crucial for determining the winner of the upcoming presidential election in November.

The Republican candidate is addressing Nebraska state lawmakers for a second time to promote a bill that would revise how the state allocates its electoral votes, potentially reducing Vice President Kamala Harris’ chances of securing one of the state’s five votes, as reported by the Nebraska Examiner and other news sources.

If successful, this move could reshape the electoral landscape, compelling Harris to win over additional states to secure the presidency.

A Unique Spot in a Dominantly Republican State

Nebraska and Maine are unique as they are the only states not employing a winner-take-all method for electoral votes. Nebraska awards two of its five electoral votes to the statewide winner, while the remaining three go to the victors of each of its three congressional districts.

Though Nebraska typically leans Republican, its 2nd Congressional District, which encompasses Omaha, has occasionally voted for Democrats in past presidential elections, supporting Barack Obama in 2008 and Joe Biden in 2020.

This single electoral vote might be essential for Harris to achieve the 270 votes necessary for victory: if she wins the crucial “blue wall” states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, that one vote from Nebraska could secure her an Electoral College majority without needing to win any states in the Sun Belt, such as Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and North Carolina.

Current polling indicates that Harris is either tied or leading in the “blue wall” states while falling behind in several Sun Belt battlegrounds.

Some Republican lawmakers in Nebraska have sought to modify the electoral vote distribution by congressional districts since it was enacted in 1991, but previous attempts have either been vetoed by a Democratic governor or failed to pass through committee.

Nebraska’s unusual electoral system gained national attention earlier this year when conservatives, including Trump, encouraged Governor Jim Pillen to pass legislation that would revert to a winner-take-all approach. Despite a Republican majority in the Legislature and support from Pillen, the effort could not muster the 33 votes needed to overcome a filibuster. However, state Republicans are considering the possibility of convening a special session to pursue this if they can secure the necessary votes.

“My colleagues and I are actively trying to gauge legislative backing for the winner-take-all system in a pre-election special session,” Pillen stated last week.

“Currently, I haven’t obtained clear, public support from 33 senators for the winner-take-all format,” Pillen added. “If that changes, I would enthusiastically convene a special session.”

In an effort to persuade some Republican senators to support the winner-take-all proposal, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham visited the Nebraska governor’s mansion this past Wednesday for a private meeting, as reported by the Washington Post.

<p”I want to see the law changed. I’m very open about that,” Graham, an ardent Trump supporter, told the Post.

A significant figure in the Nebraska legislature is Senator Mike McDonnell from Omaha, who switched his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican following this year’s legislative session after being censured by the Democratic Party for his support of anti-abortion legislation. Now part of the Republican majority, he firmly opposes the winner-take-all legislation, reiterating his stance this week.

Maine Now Out of the Equation

The current Republican initiative to alter Nebraska’s electoral system differs from previous efforts since Maine can no longer make a similar change, which could have balanced out the influence of Nebraska shifting an extra electoral vote to Trump.

During the renewed debate over Nebraska’s electoral allocation in April, Maine’s House Majority Leader Maureen Terry, a Democrat, expressed that if Nebraska changed its system, Maine would follow suit, effectively reclaiming an electoral vote that Trump won in 2020 by taking one of their congressional districts. However, Maine is now unable to modify its electoral vote process, as legislation would require 90 days to be enacted, which would not be completed before the Electoral College convenes on December 17.