Oklahoma State Senator J. J. Dossett (D-Owasso) has introduced SB 51 into the 2019 legislative session. It eliminates the straight-ticket device.
Ballot Access News
Edited By Richard Winger
Oklahoma State Senator J. J. Dossett (D-Owasso) has introduced SB 51 into the 2019 legislative session. It eliminates the straight-ticket device.
Office bloc ballots — esp in moronic NY.
What does elimination of the straight party check off expected to accomplish? Make voters think more with a ballot in their hand?
DFR —
elect more Elephants in lower offices — since Donkeys presumed more lazy and stupid [aka the Donkey logo vote — see the Donkey – vote the Donkey]
See MI — now reversed by state const Amdt – part of Prop 3 — Nov 2018.
About 40% of Oklahoma voters marked straight-party: 307,963 Republican, 161,946 Democrat, and 7,324 Libertarian.
If a person marks straight-party and then marks the individual race with something different, the mark on the individual race overrides the straight-party mark. I do not know if there are any races where a person would have not voted in it if they just marked straight-party Republican but those who marked Democrat or Libertarian would have not cast a vote in several races. If that was there intent it could certainly be accomplished without the straight-party device.
Frank, to turn your question on it’s head, why should we have the straight-party device?
Just about every argument in favor of Straight Party Voting, is an argument for easier and more open access to early and mail-in voting.
People who physically can’t stand in long lines on election day? Let them mail in their ballot without having to justify why they are doing so.
People with kids who may be stressed on election day trying to drag them around? Let them mail in their ballot when it is convenient for them.
People who haven’t done the research on all the candidates? Why are they even voting? Plus let them mail in their ballot where they can do the research with the ballot right in front of them.
Ballots are too long? Give people all the time they need by letting them mail in their ballot after they filled it out completely.
It goes on and on. But the fact that we don’t currently have full mail in ballots is no excuse not to remove the device.
ON THE BALLOTS TOO LONG POINT —
REGULAR TERMS — THREE REGIMES — USA-STATE-LOCAL [CURRENT 2/3/MORE LOCAL REGIMES]
MAX LEGIS PER REGIME ??? ONE ??? [CURRENT 2 USA – 2/1 STATES]
MAX EXECS PER REGIME ??? THREE/FOUR/FIVE ??? [CURRENT 1 USA- MANY STATE/LOCAL]
MAX JUDGES PER REGIME ??? THREE/FOUR ??? [CURRENT O USA- MANY STATES/LOCAL]
MORE THAN ONE ALL MAIL BALLOT ??? — IE ONE REGIME – ONE BALLOT – 7-10 OFFICERS PER REGIME ???
@DFR,
See party control in Oklahoma.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_party_strength_in_Oklahoma
Check the legislative control when the Republicans began to regularly win the presidency in 1968, when they took control of the congressional delegation in 1994, the legislature in 2008, and the executive in 2010.
In 1968, voters would vote a straight Democratic-ticket and then cross-over to vote a Republican president. The Democratic candidate (Humphrey, McGovern, Mondale, Dukakis) were not like them. Then they noticed that the national congressional Democrats weren’t like them. The switches to Republican representatives were when the incumbent Democrats retired or ran for other office.
The sponsor is a Democrat from Owasso, but his district extends deep into northeast Tulsa. Push it out further into the suburbs.and it might flip. A voter is less likely to vote straight-ticket and cross over at the top of the ticket than at the bottom of the ticket. A voter might continue to vote for Sheriff Dan Demore(D). But when Demo retires, or a legislator is term-limited or tries to run for higher office, he will pick an (R).
The purpose of an election is to determine which individual is elected to a number of separate offices, not determine a collective governing group. The reason behind the straight-ticket box is to encourage voters to act in a certain way. In Texas, boxes on ballots were numbered, and the Democratic and Republican straight-ticket boxes were numbered one and two. Voters were told “one and done” or “two and through”, It is a perpetuation of the party-printed ballots. Voters might be given a “free lunch” in exchange for taking aparty ballot to the polls.
The removal of the straight-ticket box is to make the first question confronted by a voter is, “who do you want for governor (or senator)?”, rather than “which party do you favor?”
A voter might still respond, “moo, I mean cluck cluck, err sorry I was just clearing my throat. After carefull thought and consideration, I like the one with the R next to there name.”
@EZK,
Just about every argument in favor of straight-ticket voting is a rationalization.
ALL mail secret ballots —
more time for voter to *think* about choices.
Oregon survives.