Alabama’s one-and-done vote: How straight ticket voting dominates elections

On November 5, Alabama voters will choose from several presidential candidates, with Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris leading the way.

However, before making that decision, voters will encounter an option for "Straight Ticket Voting," featuring two choices: the “Alabama Democratic Party” and the “Alabama Republican Party.” Voters can simply fill in the oval for one of these options and complete their ballot, unless they wish to participate in down-ballot referendums.

In solidly Republican Alabama, this voting method has historically favored the GOP. But next month’s competitive congressional race in the 2nd district could shift the dynamics, with Democrat Shomari Figures challenging Republican Caroleene Dobson.

In the last presidential election in 2020, voters in the 13 counties that make up the new 2nd district cast 53.7% of their straight-ticket ballots for Democrats—149,497 out of a total of 278,460. Republicans accounted for 46.3% with 128,963 straight-ticket votes.

Straight-ticket voting played a significant role in the 2020 election, with 70% of the 397,837 ballots cast in those counties being straight-ticket votes. Statewide, 1.5 million of the 2.3 million total ballots—66%—were straight-ticket votes.

In this heated race, Dobson and Figures recently faced off in a one-hour debate hosted by AL.com on October 9, 2024, drawing attention to their contest in Alabama's newly redrawn 2nd Congressional District.