Texas Legislature Eliminates Straight-Ticket Voting

image
Published: 22 May, 2017
1 min read

The Texas House approved a bill Saturday that eliminates straight-ticket voting, which allows voters to choose a party's entire slate of candidates in a single ballot marking. Texas will likely become the second state in 2017 to eliminate straight-ticket voting, following Iowa.

The bill, HB 25, originated in the state House, and was initially approved by the chamber in early May. However, before passing the Senate, an amendment was added to the bill that required the bill to go back to the House for final approval. The bill now heads to Governor Greg Abbott's desk, where he can sign it, veto it, or do nothing and the bill will automatically become law.

The final 89-45 vote fell mostly on party lines. Republicans passed the bill despite objection from Democrats. Advocates for the bill say it encourages voters to pay more attention to down ballot races, while opponents say it makes the voting process more time-consuming, meaning longer waits at polling locations.

Straight-ticket voting is a practice that is slowly getting phased out in the US. Over a dozen states have eliminated it since 1994. Now that Iowa and Texas (most likely) have eliminated straight-ticket voting, only 8 states still allow it: Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Utah.

 

You Might Also Like

Hillcrest
'Build, Baby, Build!' is NOT the Answer to Housing Crises
Can San Diego build its way out of its three-part housing crisis – supply, affordability and homelessness? Some of elected officials think so and are leading the charge. I have been in the real estate industry for 50-plus years, and I say they are on the wrong track....
27 Oct, 2025
-
4 min read
Isn't It Weird That Congress Feels No Urgency to Re-Open the Government?
Isn't It Weird That Congress Feels No Urgency to Re-Open the Government?
The U.S. has entered Day 22 of the latest government shutdown with no end in sight. As pundits expect it to surpass the 35-day record set during Trump’s first term, a new Gallup poll shows voters’ approval of Congress has plummeted in the last month. Yet, for congressional leaders, there isn’t any urgency to re-open the government. House Speaker Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries trade jabs back and forth in the media, but the blame game continues to be prioritized over solutions....
22 Oct, 2025
-
5 min read
Proposition 50 voter guide
California Prop 50: Partisan Power Play or Necessary Counterpunch?
November 4 marks a special election for what has become the most controversial ballot measure in California in recent memory: Proposition 50, which would circumvent congressional districts drawn by the state’s independent redistricting commission for a legislative-drawn map....
01 Oct, 2025
-
9 min read