Eight Republican New Hampshire legislators have introduced HB 185, to restore the straight-ticket device. New Hampshire eliminated it in 2007, after Democrats won control of the legislature in 2006.
The general argument in favor of straight-ticket devices is that many voters are too uninterested to finish filling out their ballot, so they leave the offices toward the bottom of the ballot blank. But this argument makes little sense in New Hampshire, where the voters have fewer partisan offices on the ballot than in most states. New Hampshire voters do not elect judges, and they do not elect any statewide executive positions except Governor.
Only eleven states still have a straight-ticket device, and in two of them (Iowa and West Virginia) there are bills pending to abolish it. Thanks to Darryl Perry for the news about the New Hampshire bill. The eight sponsors of the New Hampshire bill are Senator Gary Daniels, and Representatives Dick Marston, James Spillane, Joseph Lachance, John Mullen, Joseph Hagan, Don LeBrun, and Kathleen Souza.
The Election Law Committee is scheduled to have an Executive Session on this bill Tuesday, however the projected snow may delay this to Thursday or next week. Hopefully, I’ll know more tomorrow