straight ticket voting

A useful post from Porter County Politics on the prevalence of and recent changes in state-based straight-ticket voting.

According to PoCoPo...

Only 16 states allow this: Alabama, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, New Jersey (Primary only), New Mexico, North Carolina (All races except presidential), Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island (general elections only), South Carolina, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Six have abolished it in recent years: Georgia in 1994; South Dakota abolished in 1996; Illinois in 1997; Missouri in 2006 (along with a voter ID law); and New Hampshire in 2007.

Michigan attempted to abolish in 2001 but was unable to do so.

Is it time that Indiana abolishes this practice? Do you think that the straight ticket option leaves the local races subject to one candidate higher up on the ticket? If anyone actually read the ballot for straight ticket voting on this last election it was confusing at best. I actually went into one precinct that the inspector was spoiling the ballots that people had not only picked straight party but then picked out different races (which is allowed)....