Ending straight-ticket voting was once a Republican priority. Independents are pushing for it now.
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Ending straight-ticket voting was a priority for House Republicans in 2015. A decade later, it hasn't happened.
Why it matters: A new group is reviving the idea.
Driving the news: Independent Indiana, founded in September, wants to get more independent political candidates elected, and ending straight-ticket voting is one way to help, the group says.
- The nonpartisan effort is led by executive director Nathan Gotsch, a former independent candidate for Congress in Northeast Indiana in 2022.
What he's saying: The group launched a study of independent candidates in Indiana over the last couple of years to understand the barriers they face.
- "We started seeing independents running all across the state," Gotsch said. "And they weren't just running, they were winning."
- That was, until the group looked at larger races where the advantage of straight-ticket voters became harder to overcome.
State of play: Indiana is one of six states with straight-ticket voting, the ballot option that allows voters to select all candidates of one political party with a single click.
Friction points: Straight-ticket voters don't see independent candidates' names on the ballot, and there is no straight-ticket option for those candidates.
- The straight-ticket option doesn't apply to nonpartisan races, so there's a significant undervote in those races.
- But straight-ticket voting can help Democrats or Republicans in smaller races earn votes they otherwise wouldn't have as some voters only make choices in big races.
Reality check: Republican-sponsored bills to end straight-ticket voting were filed in the House and Senate last session, but neither received a hearing.
- House Minority Leader Phil GiaQuinta (D-Fort Wayne) told Axios his caucus would support the idea if it came back.
The latest: A bill hasn't been filed that would address straight-ticket voting, but lawmakers have until mid-January to file legislation.
Zoom out: Independent Indiana also wants the state to lower the threshold for independent candidates to get on the ballot and return to open primaries.
- A poll the group conducted found voters dissatisfied with both major parties.
- "The people who feel disillusioned with the way things are, who don't find a home in either party, our data very clearly shows you are not alone," Gotsch said. "You are the majority of Hoosiers."