Attempts to block Michigan residents from voting a straight party ticket on the Nov. 8 ballot crashed and burned.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday denied a request for a hearing for an emergency appeal to block the straight party ticket option, Melissa Nann Burke of The Detroit News reports. That means, voters will have the option in November.
The ruling is seen as a victory for Democrats, who more often than Republicans, tend to vote a straight party ticket on the ballot. It is particularly significant in races where voters take little time to learn about the candidates, which can be anything from a Congressional to state Supreme Court race.
In July, Gov. Rick Snyder signed into law legislation to block the straight party ticket vote. But in an appeal, U.S. District Judge Gershwin A. Drain in Detroit issued a preliminary injunction rejecting the state’s straight-ticket ban, concluding that it would create longer lines and disproportionately affect black voters' right to vote.
Eliminating the straight-ticket option forces voters to go through every category, which slows lines and frustrates people -- particularly in highly-populated urban areas, which just happen to have a lot of African American residents who overwhelmingly vote for Democrats. Some frustrated might end up leaving the polling place before casting a vote.
Michigan Attorney Gen. Bill Schuette unsuccessfully appealed Drain's ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals and then the U.S. Supreme Court.
“It is my duty to defend Michigan’s laws, in this case a law that stands in 40 other states,” Schuette said in a Friday statement, the News reported. “Now, the U.S. Supreme Court has spoken, and I will respect that decision.”
The preliminary injunction leaves open the door for the state to continue to fight in a trial after November.
