POLITICS: The Decline of Ticket-Splitting in U.S. Elections Straight-ticket voting has increased dramatically since 1992, when 23% of House districts voted for a president of one party while electing a House member of the other—a figure that dropped to just 6% by 2020. This shift reflects increased party polarization and sorted voting patterns, as voters now align congressional preferences with presidential choices rather than splitting based on candidate quality or local issues. The phenomenon signals weakened split-ticket voting, which historically served as a check on single-party dominance and forced parties to moderate positions to appeal across districts. Understanding this trend matters because it explains why Congress has become increasingly gridlocked: fewer swing districts mean fewer representatives with incentives to compromise, while safe seats reward ideological purity over pragmatic governance.