Comments about ‘Letter: Support bill that would remove straight-ticket option from ballots’

I absolutely support this bill. Being able to click one "button" to vote a straight party ticket is a cop-out -- it enables people to avoid having to consider each vote they cast, which in the long run is not good for the country. I hope this bill passes and, if it doesn't, the people who vote against it are held accountable the next time they run for office.

The headline in the newspaper for this letter, "Move Refineries," had me scratching my head. But then I made the connection. Getting Utahns to not vote straight ticket Republican is about as impossible as moving the refineries. Thanks, DN, for making me think on a quiet Sunday morning.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. "Eliminate Partisanship"? This change is about all about partisanship. The question to ask is, which politician or politicians benefit? Why don't these politicians do something important or relevant, like fix the deficit, or eliminate the job killing sequester, or fix the problems leading to long voting lines. I mean, get serious, change the law to end straight ticket voting? Won't that just slow the voting process further and lead to even longer lines?

I sort of doubt Republicans in the legislature are going to vote for something that would have the effect of reducing the number of Republicans in the legislature.

The real problem in Utah is a lack of open primaries.

What would be interesting is to remove candidates names from ballots and instead have people vote on the issues.

Yes. Will it be an awful thing to actually expect voters to THINK before casting a ballot?

(Come to think of it, I guess it would be if you're a Republican. People who actually THINK are probably not going to vote for someone with the Big R by their name.)

One old man! one doesn't really have to read your comments to know what you are going to say. It's the dems who are the "low info voters" not the Republicans.

Just what makes you think that because someone votes a straight ticket they don't know the issues? For instance, your boy jim said he couldn't tell me how he was going to vote on the health care (up until that day) because he was reading it. NO ONE HAD TIME TO READ IT!

Yes, he voted against it, but when the time came and he was needed, he voted for it. They have just added 800,000 pages to the bill. Since you are an old man, you don't mind that your health care will be limited? Check it out!

How else am I going to vote perfectly? Everyone knows one party has all the answers.

I support this bill also but for different reasons - too often the non-partisan elections are ignored or forgotten when people vote straight party.

With all the big issues that our congress and the president should deal with, this sounds like a comedy relief bill.

Can we focus on the real issues please. Your country is counting on you. Unemployment is still high and we don't produce anywhere close to what we use.

Avoidance will solve nothing.

It seems strange, to me at least, that somewhere Democrats are in support of straight party voting and elsewhere Republicans seem to support it. The people who seem opposed to this form of voting are those who claim to be victims of one vote picks all elections and are in the minority vote-wise. I am not sure that elimination of this method would have the desired effect as claimed. Maybe a lot of low information voters will either not vote at all, mis-vote by that I mean vote for a candidate other than the one desired by the voter or the party encouraging the voter. Let's consider a rather scary thought: most voters are ignorant to a greater or lesser degree as to the qualifications and capabilities of the various candidates and rely upon party affiliation for a guide as to potential acceptability of the candidate. Informed voters are a distinct minority and the results are evidenced in our national and state elected officials. If this is the case, maybe the best thing for the low-information voter is status quo.