Voters who choose to cast a split-ticket have perplexed political scientists, campaigns, candidates, and media for years. Despite an increase in split-ticket voting, researchers have largely failed to keep up and examine why these voters are choosing to act in this way. This research seeks to fill that void as it analyzes three potential motivations for split-ticket voting in the 2017 German Bundestag elections. The evidence suggests motivations for ticket splitting are complex and varied.