Virginia Split-Ticket Voters Could Affect Kaine, Allen Election Prospects

Voters for President Barack Obama or Gov. Mitt Romney may split their ticket and not vote a straight Democrat or Republican ticket down the ballot; "split ticket voters" could affect election prospects for Senate candidates George Allen and Tim Kaine.

Driving through Northern Virginia, it's quite rare to see yards with signs revealing that a homeowner plans to vote both Republican and Democrat on Nov. 6. Even if they don't openly proclaim their split-ticket status, they're out there, according to polling. These "split ticket voters" plan to step into the polling booth on Election Day to vote for a Republican and a Democrat: Voting for President Barack Obama and Republican Senate candidate George Allen, or for Republican presidential candidate Gov. Mitt Romney and Democratic Senate candidate Tim Kaine. "It is a real possibility that Romney could win Virginia while George Allen loses," said Mark Rozell, professor of Public Policy at George Mason University. "Some polls have shown that Tim…

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