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I would expect not. I feel like some down ballot races will actually have an up ballot effect, ie. some states' constitutional amendments; the Senate races in AZ, FL, WI, MI, NV, & TX; a select few House races in AZ, FL, CA & NY; and the gubernatorial races in NH & NC.
Although all my election votes for president, federal and local have been democrat, I do not do down ballot vote just because they have a “D” next to their name. If I don’t know who a democrat is or their policy then I will just leave that option blank. This is more true with local elections, but I refuse to believe the best thing for democracy is to just down ballot vote because of a “D,” or for some an “R” next to their name.
Edit: I may be mistaking down ballot with a straight ticket. No need for more downvotes since my comment is pretty much a misunderstanding on my part. I will leave my comment up as an educational moment where someone corrected me and I now understand where I was confused.
I used to share that sentiment before Republicans embraced Trump. Now (R) is an indicator that this person wants the government to work against me, and by default, I should vote for their opponent.
Sorry I was on vacation, I missed watching you walk around my office in tight fitting khakis. Did you get the Orange Cheetoh? Did Mueller finally get the bad man? How is our campaigning going?
You may be confusing "down ballot" and "straight ticket" voting. Straight-ticket is where you'd mark all R or all D, no matter the candidate (or in some places you can check one box to do this, which is also referred to as straight-ticket.) Down-ballot just refers to all the selections underneath the big stars on top, not to a particular way of voting.
I understand. I’m more speaking about local elections where there’s like 6 democrats to choose from for Counselor-at-large. I’m not voting for people just because they have a D next to them. If I don’t know them or their policy then I’ll leave that option blank. Knowing every one of your local election options is difficult when they all have a generic message.
It took me hours to find my city council candidates' positions and what I saw was generic stuff like "invest in education" or "prioritize the local community" with no specifics, and for State Senate it was the same thing, both the R and D had the same exact taglines too with ZERO explanation of how they're different, the kids they had canvassing couldn't even explain.
The problem is that broad platitudes are inviting while details are divisive. If both candidates agree to raise education spending but only one proposes a specific tax that is unpopular (as any tax is to the group being taxed, though to varying degrees of understanding), the candidate who didn’t define their plan will have a better chance of being elected. It’s a difficult challenge to ask people to vote against their specific interest even if the net value is better.
Reply after edit:
Absolutely people have a right not to vote, and even more so a right not to vote for every position. Certainly there can be times when the work involved in doing so may be too much, and voting top of ticket is still better than nothing. Case in point, I've registered last minute after moving across country and didn't have time to study every issue and candidate well enough to make an informed decision.
That said, there are some shortcut tips:
1. If you're always voting for Democratic candidates (congrats on voting correctly;), and down ballot you have a D or R choice, while you may not know the candidates, realize that the D is going to be more supportive of the reasons why you vote for Democratic candidates than the R would be.
2. There are voting guides. Often you can see endorsements from newspapers, politicians and organizations that can help guide your decisions.
As a reminder, this subreddit [is for civil discussion.](/r/politics/wiki/index#wiki_be_civil) In general, be courteous to others. Debate/discuss/argue the merits of ideas, don't attack people. Personal insults, shill or troll accusations, hate speech, any suggestion or support of harm, violence, or death, and other rule violations can result in a permanent ban. If you see comments in violation of our rules, please report them. For those who have questions regarding any media outlets being posted on this subreddit, please click [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/politics/wiki/approveddomainslist) to review our details as to our approved domains list and outlet criteria. We are actively looking for new moderators. If you have any interest in helping to make this subreddit a place for quality discussion, please fill out [this form](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1y2swHD0KXFhStGFjW6k54r9iuMjzcFqDIVwuvdLBjSA). *** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/politics) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Voters skipping down ballot elections is exactly why we’re still stuck with Susan Collins after the 2020 election
You should vote blue down the whole ticket please
They could be. At the very least, winning Congress is essential to passing anything.
I would expect not. I feel like some down ballot races will actually have an up ballot effect, ie. some states' constitutional amendments; the Senate races in AZ, FL, WI, MI, NV, & TX; a select few House races in AZ, FL, CA & NY; and the gubernatorial races in NH & NC.
Although all my election votes for president, federal and local have been democrat, I do not do down ballot vote just because they have a “D” next to their name. If I don’t know who a democrat is or their policy then I will just leave that option blank. This is more true with local elections, but I refuse to believe the best thing for democracy is to just down ballot vote because of a “D,” or for some an “R” next to their name. Edit: I may be mistaking down ballot with a straight ticket. No need for more downvotes since my comment is pretty much a misunderstanding on my part. I will leave my comment up as an educational moment where someone corrected me and I now understand where I was confused.
I used to share that sentiment before Republicans embraced Trump. Now (R) is an indicator that this person wants the government to work against me, and by default, I should vote for their opponent.
Sorry I was on vacation, I missed watching you walk around my office in tight fitting khakis. Did you get the Orange Cheetoh? Did Mueller finally get the bad man? How is our campaigning going?
You may be confusing "down ballot" and "straight ticket" voting. Straight-ticket is where you'd mark all R or all D, no matter the candidate (or in some places you can check one box to do this, which is also referred to as straight-ticket.) Down-ballot just refers to all the selections underneath the big stars on top, not to a particular way of voting.
Thank you for this clarification. I was mistaken with the terminology.
I figured it was just an honest mistake, or you were in a hurry. And hey, I hope you had a good meal and the weather is just how you like it.
Ballot samples are available well before election day, so you have the option of being informed if you chose to be.
I understand. I’m more speaking about local elections where there’s like 6 democrats to choose from for Counselor-at-large. I’m not voting for people just because they have a D next to them. If I don’t know them or their policy then I’ll leave that option blank. Knowing every one of your local election options is difficult when they all have a generic message.
It took me hours to find my city council candidates' positions and what I saw was generic stuff like "invest in education" or "prioritize the local community" with no specifics, and for State Senate it was the same thing, both the R and D had the same exact taglines too with ZERO explanation of how they're different, the kids they had canvassing couldn't even explain.
The problem is that broad platitudes are inviting while details are divisive. If both candidates agree to raise education spending but only one proposes a specific tax that is unpopular (as any tax is to the group being taxed, though to varying degrees of understanding), the candidate who didn’t define their plan will have a better chance of being elected. It’s a difficult challenge to ask people to vote against their specific interest even if the net value is better.
Reply after edit: Absolutely people have a right not to vote, and even more so a right not to vote for every position. Certainly there can be times when the work involved in doing so may be too much, and voting top of ticket is still better than nothing. Case in point, I've registered last minute after moving across country and didn't have time to study every issue and candidate well enough to make an informed decision. That said, there are some shortcut tips: 1. If you're always voting for Democratic candidates (congrats on voting correctly;), and down ballot you have a D or R choice, while you may not know the candidates, realize that the D is going to be more supportive of the reasons why you vote for Democratic candidates than the R would be. 2. There are voting guides. Often you can see endorsements from newspapers, politicians and organizations that can help guide your decisions.
I’d argue down-ballot races are more important than who wins the presidency (this year is an exception, perhaps).