We first encountered this warning about straight ticket voting a few months before the 2008 presidential election, and it reappeared in July 2012 in anticipation of that year's presidential election. The warning does have some merit to it, but it only applies to residents of a single state (North Carolina).
When casting their ballots in elections, some voters choose to select candidates individually regardless of party affiliation (i.e., they may vote for a Republican candidate for one office but a Democratic candidate for another office), while some voters choose to go with what is known as a "straight ticket" (i.e., they cast their ballots for all the candidates of one party). The ballots in some states simplify the process of straight ticket voting (STV): Rather than having to vote for every candidate from a particular party individually, the voter can fill in a bubble, or punch a hole, or mark a box, or pull a lever that is indicated as casting votes for all candidates of a specified party in partisan offices.
Examples:
[Collected via e-mail, July 2012]ATTENTION! TO EVERYONE THAT'S VOTING IN THE NOVEMBER 2012 ELECTION!!
IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO VOTE A "STRAIGHT DEMOCRATIC TICKET" THIS NOVEMBER, BE SURE TO "PUNCH PRESIDENT OBAMA's NAME "FIRST" ON THE CARD, THEN PROCEED TO PUNCH "STRAIGHT DEMOCRATIC TICKET"! IF YOU DON'T PUNCH PRESIDENT OBAMA NAME FIRST ON THE TICKET, YOUR VOTE WILL BE VOIDED!!!!
PLEASE PASS THIS IMPORTANT INFORMATION ON TO ALL YOUR E-MAIL FRIENDS AND FAMILIES. I'M SURE THIS INFORMATION WILL NOT BE TOLD TO YOU AT THE POLLS THIS COMING NOVEMBER!!!!!!
GOD BLESS!
[Collected via e-mail, September 2008]
Just Passing this on...Make sure you do the same!!!!!!!!
For those who normally vote "Straight Democratic", please pay close attention!!!!! I was informed this weekend by a group of Obama volunteers that when voting for the presidential candidate this November, you have to make sure you punch Barack's name first, then proceed to punch "Straight Democratic" or else the vote for the president won't count. I'm not sure if any of you are aware of this, but we know they won't tell us this at the polls. Please make sure you inform others.