Ticket splitting

On any given election day, the American public may well be asked to elect the President, members of Congress, members of the state legislature, governors, mayors and so on. Most states allow citizens to split their vote between candidates from the various political parties. This is a more democratic method than those states that only allow for straight ticket voting (such as Alabama and Oklahoma at the time of writing). Ticket splitting enables the public to choose the candidate most suitable for the post in question. For instance, a voter might think that a Republican would be more suited to deal with the issues that confront the nation whilst voting for an incumbent Democrat congressmen due to his favorable record at providing ‘pork’ for their constituents. This might be placed into the broader framework of the rational choice model of voter behavior, where the Republican ticket for the White House might be seen as more appealing due to their hawkish stance on national security whereas a Democrat incumbent in Congress may have a good record in defending his constituents’ interests. In both cases, the voter could be said to have rationalized their actions.

                Supporting candidates from the exact same party does not necessary make logical sense to American voters because of the sheer range of politicians who might adopt the same party label. In other words, the Democrats may have a conservative (fiscal and/or social), a moderate or more likely a liberal attached to their party label. Equally, the GOP may have a liberal, a moderate or a conservative (fiscal and/or social) on theirs. A liberal Republican could even be characterized as a RINO whereas a conservative Democrat could be a DINO. Moreover, mavericks and independently-minded politicians could stand on either party platform. Americans are socialized into assessing the merits or otherwise of the candidates rather than the parties. The inevitable consequence is of course ticket splitting. Americans also seek to share out power between the parties rather than concentrating power into the hands of a particular party. This reflects the broader mindset of the nation. The founding fathers sought to prevent the concentration of power into the hands of one particular faction, and that worldview has to a large extent shaped generations of Americans.

                As one might expect, voters in certain states are more inclined to split their vote than others. Montana is the only state in the union to split its presidential-US Senate ticket in the majority of elections, with North Dakota and Rhode Island close behind. States with the most consistent straight ticket record include Kansas, Wyoming, North Carolina and Utah (all of whom are Republican-leaning). Finally, it should also be noted that ticket splitting is ultimately a form of tactical voting, a practice common within those countries that employ a majoritarian electoral system. As such, voters in certain states are more inclined to use their vote to maximum effect than other states.