Straight-Ticket Voting now a Thing of the Past

The straight ticket voting checkbox will be absent from the Michigan ballot, under a bill signed into law by Governor Rick Snyder on Tuesday.

Majority Republicans backed the measure saying it would allow the voting public to fully engage in the democratic process by choosing candidates based on their merit and not on party affiliation.

But Democrats argue it would disenfranchise voters, especially minorities in urban areas who tend to vote straight ticket.

Senate Minority Leader Jim Ananich says the bill is a major step backward for the state. He says lawmakers should be trying to make voting easier, not adding more hurdles.

County and local clerks have also opposed the change saying it would slow down the voting process.

The legislation includes a $5 million appropriation for implementing the change.

Critics note that the appropriation is a way to constitutionally prohibit any ballot proposal in the future to throw out the law.