Could Nebraska lawmakers seek winner-take-all elections in a special session to address taxes?

Nebraska lawmakers are set to address property tax relief next month in a special session being sought by Gov. Jim Pillen. But the Republican also has signaled his hope that the session could be used to take Nebraska back to a winner-take-all system of awarding electoral votes ahead of this year’s tight presidential election.

There’s a catch to Pillen’s call for changing the system of electoral votes: He’ll need enough lawmakers to back it.

Pillen’s letter to Speaker of the Legislature Sen. John Arch seeking a special session was sent Tuesday. It follows a swarm of townhall gatherings he has held around the state in recent weeks while seeking to rally support for a legislative answer to the state’s soaring property taxes.

In recent years, lawmakers have passed several measures to ease the property tax burden, including income tax credits to partially offset property taxes. But they failed to pass Pillen’s proposal earlier this year that would have shifted that tax burden by increasing and expanding goods and services subject to the state’s 5.5% sales tax.

Pillen also said in the letter that he’s seeking “a signal that support exists” to take up the issue of changing Nebraska’s atypical system of splitting its five presidential electoral votes. His language indicates he lacks the 33 votes needed among Nebraska’s unique one-chamber legislature of 49 senators to overcome a sure filibuster on the proposal.

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