Nebraska officially casts its Electoral College votes

LINCOLN, Neb. – Nebraska cast its Electoral College ballots Monday afternoon, doing the same as the rest of the country. Nebraska officially recorded four electoral college votes for President Trump and one for former Vice President Joe Biden.

Trump’s four electors came as a results of winning the overall vote in Nebraska, in addition to claiming victories in Nebraska’s first and third congressional districts. Biden’s one elector came on the strength of his win in the state’s second district. Biden’s one vote was made by Precious McKesson, the first woman and first African-American to cast a Democratic ballot for the state.

The votes were made official in a 2 p.m. session at the capitol.

Nebraska is one of two states splitting its electoral vote this election, with Joe Biden winning Nebraska’s 2nd District popular vote. Maine also split its electoral votes.

During his news conference Monday morning, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts said he thought President Trump should accept the results of today’s balloting.

“Absolutely, the president should accept the results of the electoral college vote,” Ricketts said. “This is what makes it official about who the next president’s going to be. It’s not the media that determines who the president-elect is; it’s the electoral college that does it.”

Meanwhile, electors in key battleground states cast the votes Monday affirming Biden’s victory. Heightened security was in place in some states as electors in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — the six battleground states that Biden won and Trump contested — gave Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris their votes Monday in low-key proceedings. Nevada’s electors met via Zoom because of the coronavirus pandemic.