SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Utah lawmaker wants to put an end to straight-party ticket voting, or the process when voters mark just one box on a ballot to cast votes for all candidates running under one party’s banner.
The Salt Lake Tribune reports Rep. Patrice Arent, D-Millcreek, says she plans to draft legislation to end the voting method.
Arent calls the practice an archaic process that most states outlaw — even though it may have helped her party in Salt Lake County this year, and may have helped Democrat Ben McAdams unseat GOP Rep. Mia Love.
Still, Utah Democrats have argued for years that allowing straight-party voting hurts them in the heavily Republican state because it allows voters to cast ballots for the party instead of individual candidates.
