The US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit on Wednesday reinstated [text] Michigan’s ban on straight ticket voting by granting the Secretary of State’s motion to stay a lower court ruling enjoining the law’s enforcement.

Public Act 268 [text] banned straight ticket voting, referring to the practice in which voters select a single political party for every candidate position on their ballots. The lower court enjoined [opinion, PDF] its enforcement on August 1 on two constitutional grounds and as a violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.

The plaintiffs had argued the legislation would discriminate against minorities. Citing US Supreme Court precedent, the appeals court noted that “official action will not be held unconstitutional solely because it results in a racially disproportionate impact.” The appeals court held that the district court was incorrect to base its analysis solely on the historical voting patterns of communities. Instead, it should have considered the legislative history behind PA 268. Finally, the court held the facts presented by the plaintiff did not meet the heightened level of scrutiny required for allegations of discrimination.