Split-ticket voting is when you vote for candidates of different parties on the same ballot, such as a Republican for Senate and a Democrat for governor. It used to be common. Now it’s rare: in 2016, every state with a Senate race voted for the same party for Senate and president, and in 2020 only Maine split. House districts that split between president and Congress fell from 83 in 2008 to 16 in 2020.
The 2024 election brought a small rebound, with four states electing Democratic senators while voting for Donald Trump. With no presidential race on the ballot in 2026, split tickets could decide a few Senate and governor contests. Here’s how it works, why it faded, and where to watch.
How does split-ticket voting work? #
A ballot lists offices from the top down: president (in presidential years), Senate, House, governor, then state and local races. A split-ticket voter judges each race separately. For example:
- U.S. Senate: Democratic candidate
- Governor: Republican candidate
- U.S. House: Democratic candidate
- State legislature: Republican candidate
A straight-ticket voter picks the same party for every partisan race. A few states still let you do that with one mark, which we cover in what straight-ticket voting is. Every state lets you split.
When was split-ticket voting common? #
From the 1950s through the 1980s, party labels didn’t line up neatly with ideology. The Democratic Party included conservative Southerners and Northern liberals; the Republican Party included conservative Midwesterners and moderate Northeasterners. Voters looked past the label because it didn’t tell them much.
The results show up in the landslides. In 1972, Richard Nixon carried 49 states while voters kept Democrats in control of both the House and Senate. In 1984, Ronald Reagan also won 49 states, and the House stayed Democratic. Many voters liked the Republican president and their Democratic House member at the same time.
Why has split-ticket voting declined? #
The parties sorted #
Conservative Democrats and liberal Republicans have largely disappeared from Congress. When each party’s candidates hold similar views up and down the ballot, a voter’s policy preferences point the same direction in every race.
Every race became national #
Senate and House races, and often governor races, are now fought over national issues and national figures. Voters know a Senate seat can decide which party controls the chamber, confirms judges and passes the president’s agenda, so a vote for Senate becomes a vote on the national parties.
Voters dislike the other side more #
Political scientists call it negative partisanship: many voters are motivated more by opposition to the other party than affection for their own. If you see the other party as a threat, voting for even one of its candidates feels wrong.
Did 2024 bring ticket-splitting back? #
Somewhat. Four Democratic Senate candidates won in states Trump carried:
| State | President (2024) | Senate winner (2024) |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona | Trump | Ruben Gallego (D) |
| Michigan | Trump | Elissa Slotkin (D) |
| Nevada | Trump | Jacky Rosen (D) |
| Wisconsin | Trump | Tammy Baldwin (D) |
Not all of that was voters crossing over. Analyses of the results suggest that in several of those states, part of the gap came from Trump voters who skipped the Senate race entirely rather than voting Democratic. Arizona looked more like genuine ticket-splitting.
Governors remain the main exception. Vermont keeps electing Republican Phil Scott while voting heavily Democratic for president, and Kentucky reelected Democratic Governor Andy Beshear in 2023 in a state Trump carried easily. Governors are judged on budgets, roads and disaster response, which gives voters more reason to look at the person.
Where could split tickets matter in 2026? #
A midterm has no presidential race to pull the whole ballot one way, which leaves more room for candidates to run ahead of or behind their party. Several states have both a Senate race and a governor race on the November 3 ballot, including Maine, Georgia, Michigan and New Hampshire. If the two races in one state are going different ways in the polls, that’s a sign some voters plan to split.
That’s easy to check in Election Tracker, which keeps Senate and governor polls on separate tabs, each grouped by race with a 30-day average. Pin a state’s Senate race and its governor race and compare the two averages. If one party’s governor candidate is running several points ahead of its Senate candidate in the same state, you’re looking at split-ticket potential. For the Senate field, see which Senate seats are up in 2026, and for governors, our 2026 governor elections map.
What does the decline mean for government? #
The effects are debated, but a few follow directly from the numbers.
- Fewer swing districts. When voters rarely cross party lines, a district’s partisan lean decides most House races, and only a few dozen seats are truly competitive.
- Primaries matter more. In a safe seat, the real threat to an incumbent comes from their own party’s primary, which rewards appealing to the party base.
- Candidate quality matters less, but not zero. Strong candidates still outrun their party by a few points, and in close states a few points decides the race. The 2024 Senate results show that margin can still matter.
- Coattails get stronger. When nearly everyone votes one way, the top of the ticket carries the rest. We explain that in the coattail effect.
Frequently asked questions #
What is the opposite of split-ticket voting? #
Straight-ticket voting, where you vote for one party’s candidates in every partisan race. It can mean using a single straight-party option, which six states offer, or simply marking the same party in each race by hand.
Can you split your ticket in every state? #
Yes. Every state lets you vote for different parties in different races in a general election. Even in states with a straight-party option, you can mark individual races instead.
Why do some voters still split their tickets? #
Usually because of a particular candidate: a governor with a strong record, a senator seen as independent, or a nominee they find unacceptable. Some voters also split on purpose to keep either party from controlling everything.
Does split-ticket voting happen in primaries? #
Not in the usual sense. In most primaries you get one party’s ballot, so there’s nothing to split. Top-two or “jungle” primaries, like California’s and Washington’s, list all candidates together, and voters there can choose candidates of different parties for different offices.
Is split-ticket voting the same as crossover voting? #
No. Crossover voting usually means voting in the other party’s primary, where state rules allow it. Split-ticket voting happens in the general election, when you vote for different parties in different races on one ballot.