Examancer

I have found that many Nebraskans are not aware that Nebraska is not a normal “winner takes all” state when it comes to electoral votes in a presidential election. Nebraska is one of two states (the other is Maine) where electoral votes are “tiered“. Of Nebraska’s five electoral votes, only two go to the state-wide popular vote winner. The remaining three electoral votes are awarded individually to the candidate who wins the popular vote in each of Nebraska’s three congressional districts. District 1 (Eastern Nebraska, including Lincoln, Fremont, Norfolk, South Sioux City, but not including Omaha/Douglas County) is considered to be a fairly safe bet for Republican John McCain, and District 3 (Western Nebraska) is an even safer bet. District 2 (Omaha/Douglas County, and parts of Sarpy County), however, is not safe for McCain.

Sarah Palin’s recent visit to Omaha has many saying that the McCain campaign is scared of loosing the single electoral vote of Nebraska’s 2nd congressional district. One of the people indicating this was Gentry Collins, McCain’s Regional Campaign Manager. Obama is also aware of how close the race has gotten in this district. He recently moved 15 additional staff here and opened a second campaign office in Omaha.

Recent electoral college projections show that Obama and McCain could end up in a tie, with each candidate receiving 269 electoral votes, both shy of the 270 votes needed to win. If we can energize Obama supporters in Omaha and cause our single electoral vote to be pledged to Obama our tiny congressional district could very well determine the outcome of this election.

I hear time and time again from discouraged potential voters in the Omaha area who think that even if they do vote for Obama it won’t matter because Nebraska is so overwhelmingly Republican. Now you know that is not true. Voters living in Douglas County and most residents of Sarpy County will find they have a very loud voice on election day… a voice so loud it could dictate the future of our country for the next four years, and possibly beyond.

Please vote. It’s possible your vote matters more this year than it has in your entire life.