Candidate Over Party: Split-Ticket Voting in State Supreme Court Elections

• In Event: State Judicial Elections and Their Consequences

Abstract

As both political parties and voters have become more polarized, the incidence of split-ticket voting has decreased. In all these races, though, voters are choosing among candidates for separate offices. That is, they are selecting among a Democrat and a Republican for the House, and then the Senate, and so forth. However, in many states, there are elections where voters select among candidates for the same office. In many elections, voters are selecting among multiple Republican and Democratic candidates for state supreme court seats. There is a clear story why a voters might prefer a Republican for an executive position and a Democrat for a legislative one, but why might a voter select a Democrat and a Republican for a judicial position? This is the question we seek to answer using individual-level vote choices for state supreme court elections.

Authors

• Chris "Boom Boom" Bonneau, University of Pittsburgh, @Bonneau_Says

• Damon M. Cann