split ticket

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noun U.S. Politics.

a ballot on which not all votes have been cast for candidates of the same party.

a ticket on which not all the candidates nominated by a party are members of the party.

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Compare straight ticket.

Origin of split ticket

An Americanism dating back to 1830–40

Words nearby split ticket

splittail, splitter, split the difference, split-thickness flap, split-thickness graft, split ticket, split-time, split tin, splitting, splitting adz, splitting adze

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use split ticket in a sentence

The conspirators were split into two teams, “Alpha” and “Bravo.”
The Shadowy U.S. Veteran Who Tried to Overthrow a Country|Jacob Siegel|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
If you look at the history, you can really understand why the parties are so divided and why the public is so split.
Thank Congress, Not LBJ for Great Society|Julian Zelizer, Scott Porch|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Farrell issued a ticket to an 18-year-old shipyard worker for speeding and an improper exhaust mechanism, according to the TP.
The Louisiana Racists Who Courted Steve Scalise|Jason Berry|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Before it was split between Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, Baluchistan spread over an area slightly larger than California.
The Dangerous Drug-Funded Secret War Between Iran and Pakistan|Umar Farooq|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST

His section on why he and his wife split—he essentially chose soccer over her—would be risky if its candor were not so refreshing.
Tim Howard’s Wall of Intensity|William O’Connor|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Under the one-sixth they appear as slender, highly refractive fibers with double contour and, often, curled or split ends.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
The cantonment was split into two sections by an irregular ravine, or nullah, running east and west.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
He had got his ticket of admission to the Casino, after arriving yesterday evening; but the Rooms had not pleased him then.
Rosemary in Search of a Father|C. N. Williamson
The atmosphere seemed drawn taut before him as though it must any instant split open upon a sound of crying.
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood
Hilda suggested that the ticket-clerk should be interrogated, but the aperture of communication with him was shut.
Hilda Lessways|Arnold Bennett

British Dictionary definitions for split ticket

split ticket

noun

See split (def. 9) See also straight ticket

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for split ticket

split ticket

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.

Other 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.