VOTING FAQ: The Truth About Straight-Ticket Voting at “Say Cheese”

Straight-ticket voting allows voters to choose a party’s entire slate of candidates. With straight-ticket voting, a voter can make one punch or mark on the ballot to vote for every candidate of that party on the ballot.

Your state may not have a “Straight Democratic” or “Straight Republican” option – not every state does. If you don’t see one, don’t be concerned. Nothing is wrong with your ballot.

If you are in a “straight-ticket” state, you may have seen advice encouraging you to make two marks on the ballot. For example, the advice may say “vote once for the Democratic “straight-ticket” AND once for Barack Obama.” In North Carolina, this is correct. If you vote the Democratic “straight-ticket,” you must ALSO check an additional box to vote for Barack Obama for President.

However, in other states, the advice is incorrect. If you mark “Straight Democratic Ticket”, a vote for Barack Obama WILL be counted. In fact, in states other than North Carolina, to avoid problems, it’s better to ONLY push “Straight Democratic Ticket”.

(Note: You aren’t required to vote using the straight-ticket method. You can vote for Barack Obama or John McCain and other candidates on an individual basis.)

So, in summary:
North Carolina – vote BOTH straight-ticket AND Obama, OR vote for individual candidates like Obama.

Other states – vote straight-ticket by itself, OR vote for individual candidates like Obama.

Meanwhile, look for cards or mailed literature from the campaign in the days before Election Day, and at the polls. Campaign for Change will be handing out easy instructions to help make sure that you can vote, that you understand how to vote in your county, and that your vote counts.

You can learn more about voting in your state at www.VoteForChange.com, our Voter Information Center, or your state’s Secretary of State’s website.

If you have any further questions, please call your local Campaign for Change office — there’s a list at http://my.barackobama.com/statepages.

States that DO use straight ticket voting include:
Alabama
Indiana
Iowa
Kentucky
Michigan
New Mexico
North Carolina
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Texas
Utah
West Virginia
Wisconsin