Could Maine And Nebraska Decide The Election?

By Kleinheider Posted on June 24, 2008 at 7:20 am

In a close election, where the electoral vote count matters, two states could play a defining role — and they are not the ones you normally hear about:

If there were a similarly close election in Nebraska or Maine, the electoral vote could be split, with one vote going to the candidate who won each congressional district and two to the candidate with the largest total statewide.

Say, for instance, that Democratic Sen. Barack Obama received the most votes in Maine, largely by piling up a big majority in the 1st Congressional District, which includes southern Maine, Portland and Augusta, while Republican Sen. John McCain received a few more votes than Obama in the 2nd Congressional District, which includes Lewiston and the northern part of the state.

Obama would receive one electoral vote for winning the 1st District and two votes for winning statewide, but McCain would get one electoral vote for his success in the 2nd District.

Nebraska, which has three congressional districts, gets five electoral votes. Historically, the state has supported Republican presidential candidates.

But it’s not impossible that Obama could win the state’s 2nd District that includes Omaha, while McCain wins the rest of the state. That would give Obama one electoral vote and McCain four.

In a close election, the swing of one electoral vote from Maine or Nebraska could make the difference between winning and losing.

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