WACO, Texas — "If you can, go vote early,” said McLennan County Elections Administrator Jared Goldsmith.
Election season is in full swing, and local leaders are reminding voters there will not be a straight-ticket voting option.
What does that mean for voters in the community?
" We used to be able to vote what's called 'Straight-ticket', that's where you could have chosen an option for one of the parties at the top of the ballot, that was done away with a few years ago due to a law change,” said Goldsmith.
Straight-ticket voting allowed voters to cast ballots for a party's entire list of candidates with the press of a button.
But Texas ended straight ticket voting in 2020- joining seven other states which since 2012 have also eliminated the option.
"If you want to vote for everybody in one party, you'll have to go through each contest and the candidates will be listed by their party,” Goldsmith said.
Some critics believe straight ticket voting saves time at the polls and helps ease voter fatigue.
While others say that results in our neighbors being less informed at the polls.
Regardless of what you believe — elections leaders say it's important our community members know what to expect when they head to the polls.
"We want to make sure that everybody knows that that's not going to be an option on the ballot and it's important to know that you're going to have to vote for everybody,” said Goldsmith.
There are currently less than 10 states in the country that still allow straight-ticket voting.
For more on registering to vote in Texas, here.
