Some good news out of the Sixth Circuit. A three judge panel of the Sixth Circuit has struck down a decision by the District Court to overturn Michigan’s ban on straight ticket voting. The decision means that ballots for this November election in Michigan will not have a straight ticket voting option.
Voters will (OH THE HUMANITY!!!) have to actually vote each race individually. Of course, voters can still vote a straight ticket, they just won’t have the assistance of the elections department in doing so.
The district courts reasoning that it would be a burden on minority voters was the most fantastic piece of crap I have seen a District Court hurl in some time and it was an insult to minority voters.
And it was stupid, in that straight ticket voting does not exist in most States, yet minority voters do just fine.
Good on the Sixth Circuit for striking down this atrocity of a ruling.
An en banc challenge is unlikely, as Trump has put 4 Judges on this court already and it is firmly back on the conservative side. The Supreme Court would likely only be interested if an Appeals Court actually upheld such a ruling.
Judge Danny Boggs wrote the majority opinion, joined by Judge Raymond Kethledge. Judge Bernice Donald dissented.
But if there was a ban on “straight ticket voting” before this decision, why would there be a “straight ticket voting option” prior to the decision? That doesn’t make any sense.
Yeah but you just said there would be no “straight ticket option” as a result of this decision. I’m still not seeing it. That would be like the court saying “We lifted the ban on alchohol. Good news. You can’t purchase alchohol.”
Had the decision of the District Court stood, there would have been the straight ticket option for the November election. The Republicans are trying to get rid of that option and the Court of Appeals decision does that.
