Axios indianapolis
Ending straight-ticket voting was once a Republican priority. Independents are pushing for it now.
Ending straight-ticket voting was a priority for House Republicans in 2015. A decade later, it hasn't happened.
Why it matters: A new group is reviving the idea.
Driving the news: Independent Indiana, founded in September, wants to get more independent political candidates elected, and ending straight-ticket voting is one way to help, the group says.
The nonpartisan effort is led by executive director Nathan Gotsch, a former independent candidate for Congress in Northeast Indiana in 2022.
What he's saying: The group launched a study of independent candidates in Indiana over the last couple of years to understand the barriers they face.
"We started seeing independents running all across the state," Gotsch said. "And they weren't just running, they were winning."
That was, until the group looked at larger races where the advantage of straight-ticket voters became harder to overcome.
State of play: Indiana is one of six states with straight-ticket voting, the ballot option that allows voters to select all candidates of one political party with a single click.
Friction points: Straight-ticket voters don't see independent candidates' names on the ballot, and there is no straight-ticket option for those candidates.
The straight-ticket option doesn't apply to nonpartisan races, so there's a significant undervote in those races.
But straight-ticket voting can help Democrats or Republicans in smaller races earn votes they otherwise wouldn't have as some voters only make choices in big races.
Reality check: Republican-sponsored bills to end straight-ticket voting were filed in the House and Senate last session, but neither received a hearing.
House Minority Leader Phil GiaQuinta (D-Fort Wayne) told Axios his caucus would support the idea if it came back.
The latest: A bill hasn't been filed that would address straight-ticket voting, but lawmakers have until mid-January to file legislation.
Zoom out: Independent Indiana also wants the state to lower the threshold for independent candidates to get on the ballot and return to open primaries.
A poll the group conducted found voters dissatisfied with both major parties.
"The people who feel disillusioned with the way things are, who don't find a home in either party, our data very clearly shows you are not alone," Gotsch said. "You are the majority of Hoosiers."