Public Media from Michigan State University

Michigan's Straight Ticket Voting Saga Continues As Deadlines Loom

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James Durkee

UPDATE 7:45 p.m.: The Supreme Court has rejected the appeal. Straight ticket option will not be available on November ballot.

There’s still a chance Michiganders could vote straight ticket on the November ballot. Capital correspondent Cheyna Roth reports a group trying to keep straight ticket voting has appealed to the U-S Supreme Court.

Whether voters can make a single mark and vote for an entire party on the November ballot has been a back and forth issue.

A lower court judge called the ban on straight ticket voting discriminatory against African American voters. He lifted the ban. A federal appeals court put the ban back in place.

Mark Brewer is an attorney for the group trying to keep straight ticket voting. They’ve appealed. He says part of the reason they’re fighting is to make voting faster. “We need straight party voting at a minimum to help ease the congestion at the polling place.” He said.

The state says the ban ensures people vote for the person, not the party.

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Before becoming the newest Capitol reporter for Michigan Public Radio Network, Cheyna Roth was an attorney. She spent her days fighting it out in court as an assistant prosecuting attorney for Ionia County.