No More Straight Ticket Voting in Michigan as Governor Signs Bill into Law
(Crystal A. Proxmire, Jan. 5, 2016)
Michigan Governor Rick Snyder signed a bill into law that eliminates straight ticket voting in the State.
Because the bill has a $5 million appropriation attached to it, voters can not reverse the law on referendum.
The appropriation is slated to fund new voting equipment.  Michigan was one of only ten states that had straight ticket voting.  The League of Women Voters and several other organizations spoke out against eliminating the straight ticket voting option, saying that it would cause increased delays on Election Day.
In a statement released today, Snyder said “Michigan is one of only 10 states that allows residents to vote for just a party affiliation rather than individual people. It’s time to choose people over politics.”
He is also asking the legislature to allow no-reason absentee voting.
The League of Women Voters Michigan gave several reasons why they opposed the bill to eliminate straight ticket voting:
~It minimizes options available to voters who clearly draw lines down partisan lines – this applies to both parties and across the state in urban, rural and suburban precincts,
~It leads to longer lines at the polls, which disenfranchises voters. According to the Michigan Association of Municipal Clerks, Michigan ranks 6th in the nation for longest wait in line,
~It leads to incomplete voting that suppresses the vote – the Citizen’s Research Council reports that, “A single voter is asked in an election cycle to vote on between 54 and 150 officials of state government and the judiciary and from 23 to 37 local government officials” and,
~It increases the cost for elections because additional machines need to be purchased and more staff needs to be hired.
Previous stories:

Michigan Legislature Votes to Eliminate Straight Ticket Voting

Guest View: Data-Based Look at Straight Ticket Voting in Michigan