Secretary of State Kris Kobach proposed to bring back straight-ticket party voting (STV), also called straight-party voting (SPV).
A straight-ticket system allows voters to check a single box with the name of a political party to cast a vote for every member of that party on the ballot.
Kobach said he wants to bring back the straight-ticket option to cut down on the number of voters who come to the polls, vote in the major races and leave the rest of the ballot blank.
“I think it will improve participation in races down the ballot and it’s a matter of voter convenience too,” Kobach said. “It’s just another way of assisting the voter.”
He said it also could reduce voting lines because marking a straight ticket would take only seconds, instead of the several minutes it takes to work through a long ballot race by race.
Rep. John Carmichael, a Wichita Democrat who serves on the elections committee, said straight-ticket voting is a relic of his grandparents’ time and he’s opposed to bringing it back.
“That does not contribute to the electorate making a meaningful choice,” he said. “Instead it just encourages mindless voting based solely on partisan politics and that is not good for the democratic process.”
Currently eleven states currently offer straight-ticket voting, according to the National Council of State Legislatures:
Alabama
Pennsylvania
Indiana
Iowa
Kentucky
Michigan
Oklahoma
South Carolina
Texas
Utah
West Virginia
If you live in any of these states, it is time to get rid of this arcane old way of voting.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
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