AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – Texas Republicans are hopeful that the party’s candidates will ride out momentum from a re-energized Democratic Party with the help of straight-ticket voters in November.
The Houston Chronicle reports that Texas is among eight states that offer “straight-ticket” voting. It’s a shortcut box on a ballot that allows voters to automatically register votes for a single party’s candidates in every race. The option will be phased out after November.
Straight-ticket voting hasn’t favored Texas Democrats in the last two decades, but this year could be an exception. Nearly half of the straight-ticket voters in 2016 cast ballots for Democrats, an 8 percent increase compared to the 2014 gubernatorial race.
Attorney General Ken Paxton could benefit from a straight-ticket ballot. The Republican incumbent faces felony charges that won’t be resolved before the election.
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Information from: Houston Chronicle, http://www.houstonchronicle.com
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