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Straight-Ticket Voting

Straight-ticket voting (also called straight-party voting) allows voters to choose a party’s entire slate of candidates.  Voters make one punch or mark on the ballot in order to vote for every candidate of that party for each office on the ballot.

A total of 17 states presently offer straight-ticket voting (STV).  With a few exceptions, the straight-ticket option is available in all elections, including primaries, and applies to all offices on the ticket, including federal, state and local races.  The states with STV are:

Alabama	North Carolina2
Indiana	Oklahoma
Iowa	Pennsylvania
Kentucky	Rhode Island3
Michigan	South Carolina
New Hampshire	Texas
Utah	West Virginia
New Jersey1	Wisconsin2
New Mexico

            1.  In New Jersey, straight-ticket voting is available only in primary elections.

            2.  In North Carolina and Wisconsin, straight-ticket voting is available for all races except for

                 presidential electors.

            3.  In Rhode Island, straight-ticket voting is available only in general elections.

STV has been declining in popularity over the past decade.  At least three states did away with it, and a fourth nearly did, during the 1990s.

Georgia – abolished STV in 1994.  Some Democrats in Georgia advocate reinstating it on the basis of several studies that have shown losses for Democrats, particularly among African American voters, since it was abolished.

Illinois – abolished STV in 1997.  It was a highly partisan battle in Illinois, with the Republican legislature and governor abolishing STV on the last day before the new legislature took office in January 1997.  The argument eventually wound up in the Illinois Supreme Court, which in 1998 refused to reverse the decision to abolish STV.

Michigan – attempted to abolish STV in 2001 with the passage of SB 173.  However, voters repealed the law in the 2002 election after the issue was petitioned on to the statewide ballot.

South Dakota – abolished STV in 1996.  South Dakota’s action was bipartisan, with substantial majorities of both parties in the legislature approving the elimination of STV.

Missouri - abolished STV in 2006 as part of legislation mandating photo ID to vote.