On this episode: Split-ticket voting, also known as ticket splitting, occurs when voters choose candidates from different parties in a single election — voting Republican Donald Trump for president and Democratic congressional candidates, for example. In today’s partisan political landscape, many outlets and pundits did not expect there to be significant levels of split ticket voting this cycle. Though as the dust settles nearly a month after the election, ticket splitting looks to have played a big role in some of the tightest races. 

Kyle Kondik — managing editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics — joins the show long with Ballotpedia managing editor Cory Eucalittlo to pore over the data and highlight the biggest surprises and trends to keep an eye out for in ‘26. 

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*On The Ballot is a conversational podcast featuring interviews with guests across the political spectrum. The views and opinions expressed by them are solely their own and are not representative of the views of the host or Ballotpedia as a whole.