General Ticket

General ticket representation is a particular method of electing members of a multi-member state delegation to the United States House of Representatives. States using this method elected their entire delegation in a state-wide manner, either on a single ballot (by means of bloc voting) or on separate ballots for each seat, but always allowing every voter in the state to vote for a candidate for each seat. It was a system used frequently until restricted by the 1842 Apportionment Bill and subsequent legislation, most recently in 1967. After 1842 it was used only occasionally when permitted for states with small delegations or in the years immediately following their admission to the union.

While the framers of the United States Constitution probably intended members of the House of Representatives to be elected from geographically defined single member districts, the Constitution did not so specify. For convenience or in order to assure majority control, many states adopted general ticket representation. In doing so it ensured that a group that might be a majority in only a portion of the state would be always out voted by the larger majority throughout the state.