There is one scenario — exactly one — in which straight-ticket voting might make sense for the busy, bewildered voter. That’s the scenario in which a political party puts up solid candidates top to bottom on the ballot. Solid, no stinkers.
The real world is different. In the real world, stinkers typically lurk on the ballot. These are the candidates who don’t belong in office or who are badly outclassed by their opponents.
The saving grace for inferior candidates is the straight-ticket vote, in which pushing one button casts a vote for a party’s whole slate. Sadly, single-button voting has become the rule across Texas, growing to nearly two-thirds of votes cast statewide in 2012. Thus, the stinkers slip into office as though the voters weren’t looking — which, indeed, is often the case.
Examples on this fall’s ballot? We have a few.
Start with the Democrats and a guy this newspaper was high on a few years ago — so much that we named Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins our 2008 Dallas Morning News Texan of the Year, mostly for his work to clear the innocent. Since then, Watkins’ tenure has been a study in serial disappointment, from playing loose with public money to pay for a traffic wreck he caused, to using the threat of grand juries to bully political rivals.
Also, consider the Democratic candidate for agriculture commissioner, wisecracking former farmer Jim Hogan of Cleburne, who acts surprised he made it this far. Hogan treats the whole matter like a joke, and voters should treat him similarly.
There are loyal Democrats for whom Wendy Davis would make a fine governor and who are inclined to use one button to vote for her and all others under the party banner. That, unfortunately, would give Watkins and Hogan a free pass.
There are also loyal Republicans for whom Greg Abbott would make a fine governor. But there is also a down-ballot price to pay for one-button voting on the GOP side.
It includes the astringent, divisive Dan Patrick, the talk-radio host who wants the Legislature’s most powerful job, lieutenant governor. Among Patrick’s destabilizing ideas: to upend the system of property taxes that local governments depend on, replacing it with higher sales taxes. It’s not just that the plan is regressive; it’s also that its consequences for local governments, which depend on property taxes for everything from schools to streets to police, are unknown.
Another would be Ken Paxton, who wants to be attorney general despite being fined this year for failing to register as an investment adviser who solicited paying clients. That leaves him open to criminal charges should the Travis County DA take the matter to a grand jury, an embarrassment voters should avoid.
The smart alternative to one-punch voting is doing homework, especially on down-ballot races, where there may be a sea of unfamiliar names. The editorial board interviewed candidates in dozens of races, then published recommendation editorials with our conclusions. This newspaper has also prepared useful briefing materials, including candidates’ answers to questionnaires on the issues most relevant in their contests, in our Voter Guide.
Just don’t let that one button do the thinking for you.
One-button voting on the rise
Texas is one of 14 states that permit voters to choose a party’s entire slate of candidates with one button or one mark on the ballot.
Straight-ticket voting in statewide elections:
Year | Dallas County, percent straight | Texas, percent straight |
2006 | 57 | 45 |
2008 | 65 | 58 |
2010 | 67 | 59 |
2012 | 69 | 64 |
In the eight most-populous counties in 2012, Republicans cast 50.2 percent of the straight-ticket votes and won four counties, and Democrats cast 48.9 percent and won four counties.
SOURCES: National Conference of State Legislatures; Dallas County Elections Department; Center for Public Policy and Political Studies at Austin Community College
Voter Guide: Compare candidates’ answers on questionnaires. dallasnews.com/voterguide
Recommendations: Read this newspaper’s picks in major races. dallasnews.com/opinion
