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Governor OKs end of straight-party voting option in Michigan

Posted at 11:36 AM, Jan 05, 2016
and last updated 2016-01-05 11:36:18-05

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has signed a law eliminating the straight-party voting option from ballots.

Michigan was among 10 states to still let voters support an entire ticket of one party’s candidates with a single mark. Now they can only vote race by race.

The Republican governor says Tuesday “it’s time to choose people over politics.”

Democrats have accused the GOP of seeking partisan gain by doing away with a convenient option.

The law includes $5 million for additional voting booths and tabulators after clerks raised concerns that removing the option will cause longer lines. The allocation also makes the measure immune from a referendum. Voters twice before have preserved the straight-ticket option in referendums.

Snyder says the Legislature should pass legislation allowing voters to vote absentee for any reason.