Ballot Confusion - North Carolina
Voters in North Carolina may not be aware that a straight ticket vote does not include a vote for the Presidential candidate of that party. A separate vote is required in order to cast a vote for President. From The New York Times:
Like a number of states, North Carolina allows its voters to choose a straight-party ticket. To do that, voters can mark one box and cast votes for all of the nominees of their preferred party. But North Carolina’s ballot has an unexpected twist. Even if a voter checks the straight-party box, he or she must vote separately for a presidential candidate.
This peculiar form of straight-ticket voting was adopted in the 1960s,
to help the state’s Democrats keep getting elected, even as a growing
number of voters began to choose Republicans for president. Not
surprisingly, North Carolina has an unusually high rate of undervotes,
ballots that do not record a vote for president. In the last two
presidential elections, the rate has been about double the national average.Poor ballot design is a burden on all voters. Less-educated voters and
the newly enrolled are even more likely to be confused and to end up not
casting a vote for president.This year, North Carolina’s flawed ballot could again result in tens of
thousands of votes being lost. That is particularly worrisome since
polls indicate a very close presidential race in the state. And as we
saw in 2000, a presidential election can be decided by a mere 537 votes.
Voters in North Carolina should be vigilant about making sure a Presidential vote has been cast.
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