10/27/2026
Voting in the General Election is Different from the Primary.
In general elections, voters may complete their ballots in a variety of ways:
(a) SPLIT TICKET.
The voter may mark by the name of each candidate for which he or she wishes to vote, regardless of party. The “yes” or “no” blocks for constitutional amendments and referenda are marked in similar fashion. If a voter does not mark any candidate for a particular office, no vote will be counted for that office. § 17-6-38. In this method, you are voting for the candidate, rather than the party.
(b) STRAIGHT TICKET.
The voter may vote a straight ticket by marking the areas immediately under the name of one party. This action will cause votes to be counted for every candidate of that party and no
others. § 17-6-35.
(c) STRAIGHT TICKET WITH EXCEPTIONS.
After marking beneath the party’s name, the voter may make exceptions by marking the names of some candidates from other parties. §§ 17-6-36, 17-6-27 and 17-6-39. The mark for the specific candidate will override the straight party vote IN THAT RACE ONLY. The excepted vote will be the one counted.
For example, you can mark your ballot as a straight ticket (party ballot) for your particular party choice. However, you really wanted to vote for the opposing party's candidate for Dog Catcher. You can mark your straight ticket at the top of your ballot and then go to the Dog Catcher race and mark the opposing party's candidate. Your vote will be for all of your party candidates in all races, except for the Dog Catcher race. Your vote in that race would be credited to the candidate of the opposing party, rather than for the candidate in your party.
(d) WRITE-IN VOTES.
The voter may also write in candidates whose
names are not on the ballot. §§ 17-6-40, 17-6-27, and 17-6-28.
