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Who is Ernie Chambers? How Nebraska senator's fight for split electoral vote is crucial for Trump and Biden

With the help of the ‘congressional district method’, Maine and Nebraska allocate two electoral votes to the state's popular vote winner

As America waits with bated breath to know who their next president will be, we noticed an interesting Twitter thread. The thread was by Dr Andrew R Schrock. He tweeted, “My wife @RebeccaSittler, a Nebraska native, reminded me today of why NE splits its electoral votes. If Biden does not win PA, NE's single electoral vote (from districts around Omaha) will be why he has 270. THIS lone blue dot. The reason is Ernie Chambers.”

In a series of tweets, he gave information about Chambers. According to his website, Andrew is “a seasoned author, founder of Aloi Research & Consulting, and author of the book 'Civic Tech'.”

What is the rule in Nebraska?

According to a report in USA Today, while all other states in the country operate on a "winner-take-all" system, Maine and Nebraska award their electoral votes more proportionally. This idea was first implemented in Maine in 1972 and in Nebraska since 1991. With the help of the "congressional district method", Maine and Nebraska allocate two electoral votes to the state's popular vote winner.

One electoral vote goes to the popular vote winner in each congressional district. This creates multiple contests in the states, which can lead to a split electoral vote. The report notes, Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District, which is Omaha City-based and a suburban area, has a history of being competitive.

The USA Today report states, University of Virginia Center for Politics analyst Kyle Kondik told the Omaha World-Herald earlier that, “In all likelihood, the race won’t be so close that a single electoral vote would decide the outcome” but “there are some very real possibilities where NE-2 and the ME-2 district could impact the race for president.”

In the thread, Andrew also mentions, "The closest they got was in 2016, when Ernie filibustered the vote to continue splitting electoral college votes. He argued that it was more Democratic: "It means that now when people start organizing at the neighborhood level, it matters because we can get one of those votes."

According to a 2016, New York Times report, conservatives in Nebraska’s statehouse have tried for years to undo the split system. But weren't successful in 2016 as well. And that's when Chambers, who led the opposition to the bill had said, “It means that now when people start organizing at the neighborhood level, it matters because we can get one of those votes."

Who is Ernie Chambers?

According to an August 2020 report in Omaha.com (Omaha World Herald), he is Nebraska’s longest-serving lawmaker, having represented North Omaha for 46 years. Ballotpedia states Chambers was not able to file for re-election in 2020 due to term limits.

Omaha.com lists his achievements and others facts about him. The website states, at 33, Chambers arrived in the Legislature. Then, a barber, Chambers’ reputation as a civil rights activist preceded him. For most of his career, he had been the only non-white senator in the Legislature.

Among his accomplishments, he was instrumental for laws banning corporal punishment in the public schools, eliminated the sales tax on groceries, and established government liability for bystanders injured in police chases.

The story also states that Chambers played an important role in creating the Learning Community of Douglas and Sarpy Counties, which required Omaha-area school districts to work together on addressing needs of needy students. He also appeared in the Oscar-nominated 1966 documentary film 'A Time for Burning', where he talked about race relations in Omaha. 

But he had his share of controversies as well. During a 2015 hearing about a bill to loosen hidden carry laws, when the bill introducer said people needed to have guns in bars because of the Islamic State and “the world situation”, he had stated that residents of his district were more scared of the police than of extremist groups. “My ISIS is the police. Nobody from ISIS ever terrorized us as a people as the police do us daily. And they get away with it,” he said.

People on Twitter reacted to Andrew's thread. One said, "This thread is why I'm still on Twitter. Thank you!" Another wrote: "Thanks for this. My daughter was just asking me why NE has a split vote. But mostly thanks for highlighting Ernie Chambers. We need so many more of him in every state."

One tweeted, "I met him in fourth grade in the 1980’s. I had the privilege of voting for him for the first time in 2016."  Another said, "I can't thank you enough for posting this. It truly warmed my heart and I'm so happy to know this bit of history now. And thank you, Ernie Chambers, you deserve a spot in the history books."

These remarks were made by the internet and individual organizations, MEAWW cannot confirm them independently nor does it support these claims being made on the Internet