A Democratic representative is asking the legislature to formally undo its recent ban on straight-ticket voting, he said in a press release on Tuesday. Lawmakers passed a ban on straight ticket voting — where voters can select a single option to vote for all Republican or all Democratic candidates — late last year. Gov. Snyder signed the bill in January. But the new law has been embroiled in a lawsuit, and a federal court issued an injunction that blocks it from going into effect. The U.S. Supreme Court last week elected not to stay that order, meaning straight-ticket voting will be an option for Michiganders on November’s ballot. But long-term a full trial, expected to take place within the next year, will determine the law’s fate. In the meantime Rep. Jon Hoadley, D-Kalamazoo, is urging the legislature to undo the law it just did.
“Getting rid of straight-ticket voting is something that certain politicians want, not what the people of Michigan want,” Hoadley said.
But Republicans aren’t keen to undo their work on this bill. Gideon D’Assandro, spokesperson for House Speaker Kevin Cotter, R-Mt. Pleasant, pointed to a majority of states that do not use straight-ticket voting.
“The legislation that passed the House and the Senate earlier this year moves Michigan out of the Dark Ages of voting, the era of party boss machine politics, and gives us the same modern elections 40 other states enjoy. We should be moving forward into the modern era, not going back to the 19th century,” D’Assandro said.
Full Article: Michigan lawmaker moves to repeal straight-ticket voting ban | MLive.com.