split ticket

American  

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.

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split ticket British  

noun

1. See split See also straight ticket

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split ticket Cultural  

1. 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.

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split ticket Idioms  

1. 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.

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Etymology

Origin of split ticket

An Americanism dating back to 1830–40

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

split ticket

SZA, Swift, Miley Cyrus and next-gen pop superstars Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo could all justifiably swipe them both, but with so many heavyweight contenders in the field, it could be a split ticket.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 2, 2024

Studios split ticket sales with theaters, and Cameron has said that "The Way of Water" will need to make $2 billion over its theatrical run just to break even.

From Reuters ● Dec. 18, 2022

Walker doesn’t need to get all the voters considering a split ticket, Robinson said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2022

I now vote a split ticket and during the past two Presidential elections, I voted for President Obama.

From Time ● Jul. 31, 2013

"I have voted a split ticket of late."

From Kent Knowles: Quahaug by Lincoln, Joseph Crosby