CEDAR RAPIDS – More than 40 percent of Linn County voters took a shortcut on the way to casting their ballots in the Nov. 6 general election.

According to the Board of Supervisors’ official canvass conducted Nov. 14, 43 percent of the 118,711 people who voted in Linn County voted a straight party ticket.

Iowa is one of 16 states which allow voters to vote a straight party ballot, that is, cast a ballot for everyone on the ballot listed under a particular party.

The percentage of Linn County voters casting straight-ticket ballots this year was higher than in recent presidential election years. Straight-ticket voting accounted for 38.5 percent of the ballots cast in 2004, 37.9 percent in 2008 and 36.2 percent in 2000.

In an off-year election in 2010, 46 percent of voters cast straight-ticket ballots, according to the Linn County Auditor’s Office.

According to the canvass, nearly two-thirds of the straight-ticket votes were cast by Democrats. They cast 33,054 or 64 percent of the straight-ticket votes. Republicans cast 18,499 or 36 percent of the straight-ticket votes.

The Johnson County canvas is scheduled for later today.