Straight ticket voting was eliminated in 1996 by the lame duck GOP legislature after the election.
I remember “Punch (whatever)” vote straight rat ads from 1996.
Possibly if they had abolished it in 1995 the rats wouldn’t have taken back the state house in 1996.
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1996-11-07/news/9611070214_1_al-salvi-ballots-punch
Straight ticket voting was a terrible thing, enable the lazy rat voters.