Michigan voters will still be able to cast a straight-ticket ballot in November. The US Supreme Court settled the question today by refusing to intervene in the case.
The straight-ticket option allows voters to use a single mark on the ballot to support a political party’s entire slate of candidates. About half the state’s voters use it, Democrats more often than Republicans.
The decision was a loss for Republicans, who’ve been trying to ban the practice for years.
But Governor Rick Snyder, who signed the law in January, says, for now, the court has spoken.
“We’re going to respect the legal opinions, so that’s what the Supreme Court said, that’s what we’re gonna follow.”
Lower courts have ruled the ban on straight-ticket voting violated the rights of African-American voters, especially in urban areas where long lines can be a problem on Election Day.