Michigan Governor Rick Snyder addresses the audience Jan. 20, 2015, during the State of the State Address at the Capitol in Lansing, Michigan. Emily Nagle/The State News
After being handed a ballot on election day, Michigan voters previously check single box in order to vote for all candidates specific to a single political party.
This is called straight-party, or straight-ticket, voting and the colorful caricatures of past party figures used to lie atop State of Michigan ballots.
Last week, Gov. Rick Snyder signed a bill eliminating the option to select a single party option.
“Michigan is one of only 10 states that allows residents to vote for just a party affiliation rather than individual people,” Snyder said in a statement. "It's time to choose people over politics."
Some MSU students share in the opinion of the executive office that the bill signifies a move away from cumbersome party politics.
"I applaud the governor and the Legislature for passing the bill,” economics junior Charlie Kolean said, “it will allow Michigan voters to further consider the candidates instead of just the parties they represent."
However, other students do not share the same opinion.
Social relations sophomore Daniel Eggerding asserted the law has detrimental implications that may harm lower income voters.
Eggerding paid mention to a statistic that straight-ticket Democrat voters in certain condensed areas far outweigh their Republican counterparts.
“This bill will create longer lines at polling stations, thus not allowing for people to have much time to wait or stay at the polls,” Eggerding said.
Other representatives in state government also do not share the optimism for the new law.
Sen. Curtis Hertel Jr., D-East Lansing, not only voted no on the legislation, but also said Michigan voters have supported these options in recent elections.
“The move seemed disingenuous,” Hertel said.
Still, the office of the executive issued a complimentary statement in the press release ensuring what is known as “no-reason absentee voting” in order to address the concerns of longer wait times.
Typically, absentee ballots require sufficient reasoning behind why the voter is unable to attend the polls. Under a no-reason absentee clause, this should “alleviate concerns that this change could lead to longer wait times for voters,” Snyder said in the press release.
According to the press release, the state will also purchase approximately $5 million in additional voting equipment in order to ensure the fluidity of voters on election day.
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