In the United States (U.S.), blue represents Democrats, while red symbolizes Republicans. In front of his garage in Omaha, Jason Brown is spraying a blue dot on a white poster board. Over and over again. He uses a cut-off bucket as a stencil.
Nearly four weeks ago, he and his wife Ruth made their first such sign and placed it in front of their house as a signal that they would vote for Kamala Harris. It also serves to show that their county could become a small blue dot in otherwise red Nebraska in the upcoming November presidential election.
One electoral vote could be decisive
In most U.S. states, the “winner-takes-all” principle applies. This means that whoever receives the most votes in that state wins all of the so-called electoral votes that determine the president. However, that’s not the case in Nebraska – three of the state’s five electors are decided by districts. And the district around Omaha has twice in recent history voted for a Democrat. Jason and Ruth want to remind people of this fact and emphasize: that we in Omaha could even be the deciding factor.
The battle between Democrats and Republicans is now focused on just seven states. If Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin go to Harris, while Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, and Nevada go to Trump, both candidates would end up with 269 electoral votes each. In that scenario, the district where Ruth and James live could indeed be the deciding factor.
It wasn’t even a month after they placed their first sign in their yard when demand exploded. “Our neighbor said, ‘Cool sign, where did you get that?’ More and more people were asking,” says Ruth. “Bravely, I ordered 100 boards. I didn’t think we’d get rid of them! And now, I’ve just ordered 5.000 more.”
Indeed, as you drive through the streets of Omaha, you see many of these signs. Ruth and Jason, along with two neighbors, produce them all themselves on a volunteer basis. Jason with his spray paint and cut-off bucket, and his neighbor Tim with a sprayer and a wooden stencil. Ruth handles the organizing and taking care of orders, deliveries, and donations. She even canceled a cruise with her 93-year-old mother. “Saving democracy is more important now,” she says, only half-jokingly.
