Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, a Republican, wants the legislature to create a straight-ticket device for Kansas general election ballots. Kansas repealed the device in 1923. See this story.
The story says that Wisconsin recently repealed the device, yet a voters’ referendum brought it back. The story is factually incorrect. It is Michigan where that happened.
Good thing it was repealed too, because without that change probably none of the three larger minor parties would have been ballot-qualified in Wisconsin after 2014. Top of the ticket results were <1% for both top-of-the-ticket (Gov.) third-party candidates. 1-3% for all the ones running for secretary of state, attorney general, and state treasurer. The vote test is 1% for statewide office. So Libertarians, Greens, and the Const. Party all retained/regained their ballot status for four years.
Hmmm….looks like the KS SOS wants to protect its Republican incumbents from any future threats like independent Senate candidate Greg Orman?
Hope the SOS’s effort fails miserably.
I suppose it’s no surprise then that Kansas is next to Missouri. http://www.ballot-access.org/2015/01/missouri-bill-would-restore-straight-ticket-device/