If I vote a straight-party ticket.

[Reciprocity]

Here's the dilemma. I want to vote a straight-party ticket but if I do, what happens when you have a Rep vs Lib with no Dem to vote for?
Here is a link to a sample ballot in my county.
http://www.angelinacounty.net/pdf/ballot1.PDF

[ArkDem]

1. Don't be a homophobe!

[seabeyond]

2. i didnt vote straight ticket for that reason

so i havd marked them all and when it was just a republican running i left it blank. then i talked to poll supervisor to make sure my vote would count even though i had blanks

[LiberalFighter]

22. That would be considered an undervote

A perfect vote is when the voter votes for someone in each race.

An overvote is when the voter votes for more than the alloted number for a race.


Undervotes are legal.

Overvotes negate the vote for that particular position.

[SheilaT]

3. Personally, what I would do

would be to mark in specifically the people you want to vote for. Leave a race blank if you don't want to vote for either the Rep or the Lib, or vote for the candidate you actually prefer.

Bit of trivia: Years ago, on the old lever type voting machines, some places set them up so that you initially had to cast a straight party ballot, by pulling either the Republican or Democrat one, then go through and change one by one where you were splitting your vote. What you've got is an electronic version of nearly the same thing, except that you are not required to first indicate an over-all party preference.

[MAlibdem]

4. Well, someone needs to run for that seat.

write in someone...

[Reciprocity]

6. Good idea now who would be a good choice.?

[Ruby Romaine]

10. i'd be careful w/writeins it could void your vote

[MAlibdem]

26. i wouldn't vote between repub and lib anyway

In fact, my state rep (D) voted for the Amendment to ban gay marraige in MA. I wrote to this rep that I would NEVER support or vote for him again. So when my dem primary ballot came, I voted for my best friend. No regrets.

[Killarney]

5. it would be the equivolent of leaving that one blank

which is what I would do anyway.

[TexasSissy]

7. If electronic, I think at the end it will prompt you about the races you

didn't select anything for, and ask you if you want to make a selection for those.

WHAT I DID: I didn't vote "straight Dem." I voted "anti-Repub." Which means I went through one by one and checked each box for EVERY DEMOCRAT running for anything. Then, for those races where the Repub had a non-Dem. challenger (like a Libertarian or Green Party), I voted for THOSE challengers. Then, when there was NO challenger, I did NOT vote at all for those (write-ins not allowed). You see, in order to win a seat for anything in my state, the politician must get a certain number of minimum votes. I know they'll probably get those votes, but I don't contribute to that. I just don't vote for those Repubs with no challengers.

If you can write in a candidate, all the better. But we don't have that option.

[Reciprocity]

9. Angelina County in East Texas here so...

I would have the same rules. My fear is if I don't mark all slots my ballot will be thrown out.

[Ruby Romaine]

11. u don't have to vote for everything

[TexasSissy]

27. Nope. Not true.

[brooklynite]

8. Read the instructions...

If you cast a straight-party vote for all the nominees of one party and also cast a vote for an opponent of one of that party’s nominees, your vote for the opponent will be counted as well as your vote for all the other nominees of the party for which the straight party vote was cast.

In other words, a vote in any specific race overrides the straight-party vote in that race, without affecting the rest of the ballot. So for the race where there isn't a Dem, vote for the alternate candidate of your choice, and the rest of the ballot will still be all D.

[Ruby Romaine]

13. if you vote straight party ticket & then for another party individually

it voids-SPOILS the whole ballot-
your vote won't count

[Reciprocity]

15. Thanks for the clarification.

I read that but like I said my fear is having my ballot thrown out on a technically. So, straight ticket and go back through to vote against all Reps or live blank if applicable.

[Not Me]

12. Railroad Commissioner?? What exactly does this person do?

n/t

[Reciprocity]

16. What exactly does this person do?

Looks like they are a wheel in the cog of big energy companies.

The Texas Railroad Commission has three members, who are elected to six-year terms. It regulates intrastate railroads, trucks and bus transportation as well as oil and gas production/pipelines.
http://www.wwnorton.com/wtp4e/chapters/chapter24/review.htm

Ft. Worth Star-Telegram: Response to flawed pipe is criticized
By R.A. Dyer, Star-Telegram Staff Writer
<Snip>
Documents gathered under the Texas Open Records Act also show that the commission didn't fine any companies for pipeline accidents until 1998 despite receiving the authority to do so in 1983.

<Snip>
The Texas Railroad Commission primarily regulates the oil and gas industry, gas utilities, pipelines, railroads, the liquefied petroleum gas industry and mining.

<Snip>
Wheat said that Commissioner Williams raised about $1.2 million during the 2002 election cycle and that three-fourths of the money came from contributors with ties to industry. He said an analysis by his group found that 41 percent of Williams' contributions came from the energy sector.
"The Texas Railroad Commission is a textbook case of a captured regulatory agency," Wheat said. "Commissioners who owe their office to hundreds of thousands of dollars from the energy industry attempt to balance the public interest against that of their benefactors. In this balancing act, consumer interests such as public safety repeatedly get shortchanged."
For more..
http://www.tpj.org/page_view.jsp?pageid=585&pubid=339

[DuaneBidoux]

14. I voted straight ticket yesterday - what the hell

Being in Houston that means there will was a whole bunch of judge races (we elect judges here) where I didn't cast a vote at all because there was no Dem. So, they just didn't get my vote. If you really want to vote libertarian though then obviously you shouldn't vote straight ticket.

[Jane Austin]

17. I took the time to vote in every race here in Bastrop County.

. . . just so I could vote against the Republicans in the judicial races.

Besides, it gave me great pleasure to vote FOR John Kerry and AGAINST George Bush. :)

[Praetor]

18. IMHO, voting a straight-party ticket shows a lack of interest.

If you can't take the time to check off each person you want to vote for, it shows you aren't that committed.

Take the time, and proudly check each name that you want.

[Reciprocity]

19. I used to think like you do.

That said the 2000 election debacle changed everything I thought I know about voting. I am still mad as hell and will not vote for a repug again. A bad democrat is better than a corporate Nazi any day!

[noonwitch]

20. Good question-I've voted straight ticket before, although I won't be

this year. I'm voting for a repub prosecutor, for some very good reasons.
1. The previous prosecutor, a dem, recently resigned in the midst of allegations of serious corruption-he pled down a rape case and also received election funds from the perp. He returned the funds, but still, it bothers me. He also prosecuted two high profile cases in which there was faulty evidence. One was a guy accused of kidnapping and killing a little girl. I think the guy convicted didn't do it, but I think his brother did. The other was two guys who were accused of killing a pizza store clerk. They held the guys for months after they had obtained a gun with prints on it that matched the evidence from the crime scene/body. The person whose prints were on the gun was arrested in a different state for a multi-state crime spree of armed robberies. The guys initially accused confessed after what they had termed as police intimidation.
2. The dem running for the spot now was one of #1's assistants. I think the office needs a housecleaning.
3. The dem only has experience as a prosecutor, none in private practice.

The republican has vast experience as a private practice attorney, a defense attorney and managing a large law firm. His family is well-respected in the community and he has no ties to the corrupt former prosecutor.

It's the only office I'm voting for a repub for, and haven't voted for a republican since the 2000 Michigan primary, when I voted for McCain.

[Reciprocity]

21. Wow how disgusting.

"The dem running for the spot now was one of #1's assistants. I think the office needs a housecleaning."


Are you sure this person would be as bad as his/her boss was?

[Reciprocity]

23. Okay after thinking this over all day..

And all the great post on this thread and others.

SC VOTERS BEWARE! STRAIGHT- TICKET BALLOT ALERT!!
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1178975

I will not vote straight-ticket. Thanks to all who responded.

[Streetdoc270]

24. Just be careful!

In N.C. a straight-party vote excludes presidential races, so you have to check the party box plus check the pres canidate box. We have had to tell a few people this while phone banking, they tell us 'Don't worry I'm voting straight-party" then when we tell them that they are suprised. It makes you wonder how many people in N.C. don't vote for Pres each election because of this?

[Reciprocity]

25. Boy howdy who knew something this screwy is legal. n/t

[yellowcanine]

28. Holy cow - I thought straight party ticket voting went out long ago.

Who knew?

edit - I mean where you can actually vote an entire line up with one action - like pulling a lever, etc.

[Norquist Nemesis]

29. I considered the same thing, then

I decided that where ever there is no Dem opponent (which are several seats in my district), I will write in someone I know. At least it won't be for the Republican.

My husband, BIL, SIL, and a few friends would be surprised to learn how many times I'm voting for themm. I might even put WaltStarr's name in there! :evilgrin: