2008 United States presidential election in Nebraska facts for kids
The 2008 United States presidential election in Nebraska happened on November 4, 2008. It was part of the big election across the United States that year. The Republican candidates were John McCain, a senator from Arizona, and his running mate, Sarah Palin, the Governor of Alaska. The Democratic candidates were Barack Obama, a senator from Illinois, and his running mate, Joe Biden, a senator from Delaware.
Even though McCain won the most votes across Nebraska, Obama received one electoral vote. McCain got four electoral votes. This made Obama the first Democrat to win an electoral vote in Nebraska since 1964.
Understanding Electoral Votes in Nebraska
In the United States, presidents are chosen by electoral votes, not just the total number of individual votes (called the popular vote). Each state gets a certain number of electoral votes based on its population. To win the presidency, a candidate needs to get at least 270 electoral votes.
How Nebraska's Electoral Votes Work
Most states give all their electoral votes to the candidate who wins the statewide popular vote. This is called a "winner-take-all" system. However, Nebraska and Maine do things a little differently.
Nebraska has five electoral votes. Here is how they are given out:
- Two electoral votes go to the candidate who wins the most votes across the entire state.
- The remaining three electoral votes are given out one by one. Each of these votes goes to the candidate who wins the most votes in each of Nebraska's three congressional districts. A congressional district is a smaller area within a state that elects a representative to the U.S. Congress.
The 2008 Election Outcome
In the 2008 election, John McCain won the statewide popular vote in Nebraska. This meant he received the two electoral votes given to the statewide winner.
However, Barack Obama narrowly won the most votes in Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District. Because of Nebraska's special rule, Obama received one electoral vote from that district. This was a unique event, as it was the first time a Democrat had won an electoral vote in Nebraska in many years.
