split ticket

noun, U.S. Politics.
1.
a ballot on which not all votes have been cast for candidates of the same party.
2.
a ticket on which not all the candidates nominated by a party are members of the party.
Compare straight ticket.
Origin
1830-40, Americanism
British Dictionary definitions for split ticket

split ticket

noun
1.
See split (sense 9) See also straight ticket
split ticket in Culture

split ticket definition


A vote for candidates of different political parties on the same ballot, instead of for candidates of only one party. In the presidential elections, for example, a voter may choose a Republican candidate for president, but a Democratic candidate for senator. Split-ticket voting is not allowed in primaries (see closed primary, direct primary, open primary). The increasing occurrence of split-ticket voting reflects support of individual candidates rather than unswerving party loyalty.

Idioms and Phrases with split ticket

split ticket

A ballot cast for candidates of more than one party, as in I'm registered as an Independent, and indeed I usually vote a split ticket . This idiom uses ticket in the sense of “a list of nominees for office,” a usage dating from the late 1700s. Also see straight ticket