Straight ticket voting in Texas reached an all-time high in last month’s elections, according to a new report released by the Austin Community College Center for Public Policy and Political Studies.
According to the report [read a PDF version here], more voters selected a straight ticket, picking either the Republican or Democratic parties in 2014 than in the past four general elections. In counties included in the study, Republican candidates got about 58 percent of the straight ticket votes, and Democrats got about 40 percent.
"No matter how much TV you watch no matter how many mailers you put out, people vote by party identification," says Professor Peck Young, executive director of the ACC Center for Public Policy and Political Studies.
"If the Democratic Party is going to recover in Texas, it’s going to have to have a party identity that’s as strong and positive as the Republican Party or it couldn’t elect Jesus Christ," Young adds.
Overall, 61 percent of voters used the straight ticket option in November 2014 election, the 2nd highest percentage overall, just behind the 2012 presidential election.
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