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

Fundraising drives have enabled the company to split ticket sales among performers, while writers receive the benefit of the workshop and writing lab.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 2, 2026

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

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