In what could be a close election, every electoral vote matters. And so at an event in Omaha, Neb., on Monday to encourage a huge voter turnout there on Nov. 8, billionaire Warren Buffett was offering free rides to the polls.
Hillary Clinton did one better.
"Warren and I will dance in the streets of Omaha together," she promised, saying she'd return as president if voter turnout in the district is highest in the country.
Nebraska, unlike every other state but Maine, does not simply award its Electoral College votes to the winner of the statewide popular vote. Instead, just two of its five electoral votes go to the statewide winner, while one additional vote is awarded to the winner of each of its three congressional districts.
In 2008, the Obama campaign contested Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District _ mainly the city of Omaha _ and managed to pick off its vote. Aides dubbed it "Obamaha," but the president's campaign failed to replicate it in 2012. Now, Hillary Clinton is making another run at it.
Buffett noted that one political analyst had recently predicted a 269-269 electoral vote tie.
"I am looking at the people who can change that 269 to 270," he said.
Buffett said he was committed to making voter turnout in the congressional district the highest of any in the country, and said he'd personally arrange for transportation via trolley to the polls for anyone in the district who might need it.
"I'm going to be on it all day," Buffett said of the trolley. "I'm going to do selfies, whatever it takes. Let's give America a civics lesson! How about it?"
Even if Clinton fails to carry the district, the stop could help boost her standing nearby. The Omaha media market reaches into western Iowa, a swing state in November.
