Election Update: Voting a Split Ticket in the Primary Will Void Your Ballot

While you may not identify with a specific political party, for the three minutes you’ll spend at the polls Tuesday, you’ll have no choice but to vote Republican or Democrat. 

The Aug. 7 primary ballot does not allow residents to vote a split ticket, as many are used to doing in November.

Within the partisan section of the ballot, which includes congressional, legislative, county and township offices, voters may only vote for candidates in one party. Votes across party lines will void this section of the ballot.

For example, a vote for incumbent Dexter Township Supervisor Pat Kelly, who is a Democrat, and a vote for just one of Dexter Township’s Republican candidates will void the entire partisan portion of the ballot.

However, this rule does not apply to the nonpartisan section of the ballot. Should you mistakenly split your partisan portion, this will not affect your nonpartisan votes. These votes will still be valid.

According to Darryl Albright, election coordinator for Scio Township Precinct 1, about four ballots at the precinct have already been voided due to split ticket voting.

You can view a sample of the ballot online at https://webapps.sos.state.mi.us/mivote/. 

Check out the Patch for more information on Dexter area races.