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California Recall: Drawing determines alphabetical order for Oct. 7 ballot
AP via San Diego Union Tribune ^ | August 11, 2003 | Jim Wasserman

Posted on 08/11/2003 3:00:43 PM PDT by heleny

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October 7, 2003 Statewide Special Election Results of Randomized Alphabet Drawing

The results of the Secretary of State's random drawing of letters of the alphabet for the October 7, 2003 Statewide Special Election are listed below. The resulting order of letters constitutes the alphabet to be used for determining the order of candidates' names on the upcoming statewide ballot; it applies throughout the name, not just for the first letter so that Randolph would precede Riddle.

Names of candidates for offices voted on statewide rotate by Assembly district, starting with Assembly District 1 where the names appear as first determined by the random alphabet. In Assembly District 2, the candidate who appeared first in Assembly District 1 drops to the bottom and the other candidates move up one position and so on throughout the 80 districts.

This procedure was established by legislation passed in 1975 in response to court rulings declaring that standard alphabetical order or incumbent-first was unconstitutional since there is a 5% positional bias among undecided voters.

  1. R
  2. W
  3. Q
  4. O
  5. J
  6. M
  7. V
  8. A
  9. H
  10. B
  11. S
  12. G
  13. Z
  14. X
  15. N
  16. T
  17. C
  18. I
  19. E
  20. K
  21. U
  22. P
  23. D
  24. Y
  25. F
  26. L

1 posted on 08/11/2003 3:00:44 PM PDT by heleny
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To: heleny
Lazamataz would be last.

Figures. Glad I didn't enter the race.

2 posted on 08/11/2003 3:03:03 PM PDT by Lazamataz (PROUDLY POSTING WITHOUT READING THE ARTICLE SINCE 1999!)
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To: heleny
Arrianna may be a high profile Candidate but she is still a low life gold digger.
3 posted on 08/11/2003 3:03:18 PM PDT by sgtbono2002
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To: heleny
Is it just me, or does this make it especially difficult to locate a candidate this way.
4 posted on 08/11/2003 3:03:20 PM PDT by finnman69 (!)
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To: Lazamataz
But good ole Larry Flynt is right on top of you.
5 posted on 08/11/2003 3:03:59 PM PDT by finnman69 (!)
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To: heleny
I'm sorry, but is there anyway they could have made the process even more difficult? What is wrong with alphabetizing? The logic path is scary and I am sure pervasive throughout the state government. Do things the hard, painful and convoluted way at every possible opportunity.
6 posted on 08/11/2003 3:04:24 PM PDT by Rabid Dog
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To: Rabid Republican
The process will only be difficult for those people who have not looked at the Sample Ballot that will be mailed to them several weeks before the election.

What I'm most concerned with, however, is once people have found their candidate on the ballot and pulled the lever for him/her, that they will stop... and not cast their votes for the two important Propositions that also will appear on the ballot:

Ward Connerly's initiative forbidding the state to collect racial information & a Dem-sponsored initiative changing the requirement to pass a budget from 2/3 to 55%.
7 posted on 08/11/2003 3:09:17 PM PDT by So Cal Rocket (Free Miguel, Priscilla and Bill!)
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To: Lazamataz
Lazamataz would be last.
Figures. Glad I didn't enter the race.

Only in a few assembly districts. The order rotates up one letter for each district, so L would be the next to last in the 2nd district, 3rd to last in the 3rd district, etc. if all the letters are represented. With 80 districts, you'd be near or at the top a couple times, too, although Lo... would appear before you.

If there are no candidates with names beginning with certain letters (as is usual in regular elections), I'm not sure what is normally done. They probably just skip that letter and rotate to the next letter.

8 posted on 08/11/2003 3:10:48 PM PDT by heleny
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To: finnman69
Is it just me, or does this make it especially difficult to locate a candidate this way.

Yes. It is done this way intentionally, since someone sued that the candidate at the top of the list gets an advantage of up to 5%.

9 posted on 08/11/2003 3:12:22 PM PDT by heleny
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To: heleny
Woo hoo! Revolting cat! would be furst! Is it to late to join the fun?

Just imagine:

Guvnor Revolting cat!


10 posted on 08/11/2003 3:15:34 PM PDT by Revolting cat! (Go ahead, make my day and re-state the obvious! Again!)
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To: Rabid Republican
I'm sorry, but is there anyway they could have made the process even more difficult? What is wrong with alphabetizing?

Then people with the last name A... would have an advantage over those with other last names. The alphabet order has been randomized and rotated in past regular elections, too, as far back as I can remember (not very long), except that it's easier to find your candidate in a list of usually fewer than ten names.

11 posted on 08/11/2003 3:16:01 PM PDT by heleny
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To: heleny
22, 21, 20, 19, spells P-U-K-E.

-PJ

12 posted on 08/11/2003 3:17:40 PM PDT by Political Junkie Too (It's not safe yet to vote Democrat.)
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To: Lazamataz
Lazamataz would be last.

That'll learn ya to say your name with a lisp!

13 posted on 08/11/2003 3:18:00 PM PDT by Revolting cat! (Go ahead, make my day and re-state the obvious! Again!)
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To: finnman69
But good ole Larry Flynt is right on top of you.

Just like in the 'seventies. (shudder)

14 posted on 08/11/2003 3:18:47 PM PDT by Lazamataz (PROUDLY POSTING WITHOUT READING THE ARTICLE SINCE 1999!)
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To: Rabid Republican
"...a routine process, which is done every election to help erase the estimated 5 percent advantage a candidate gets from being at the top of the ballot, Secretary of State Kevin Shelley said."

Something like this happens in every primary, Rabid - to keep ballots as fair as possible! A simple alphabetical order would not be fair!
15 posted on 08/11/2003 3:21:17 PM PDT by SwinneySwitch (Freedom isn't Free - Support the Troops!!)
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To: Rabid Republican
What is wrong with alphabetizing?
You don't think someone would get his name changed legally to Aaaron Aaabner just to get on the top of the list? I'm sure silliness like that happens in all sorts of elections. The way it is being done isn't great, but I bet it beats out any other way.
16 posted on 08/11/2003 3:21:57 PM PDT by drjimmy
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To: Lazamataz
But Jim Robinson would have been first!
17 posted on 08/11/2003 3:22:21 PM PDT by Cooter
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To: heleny
Glad I'm not on the ballot! LOL!!!
18 posted on 08/11/2003 3:22:33 PM PDT by Saundra Duffy
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To: Political Junkie Too
22, 21, 20, 19, spells P-U-K-E.

Yeah, and 25, 17, 21, 20 spells F.C.U.K. (which stands for Football Club United Kingdom, I'm told.)

19 posted on 08/11/2003 3:23:14 PM PDT by Revolting cat! (Go ahead, make my day and re-state the obvious! Again!)
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To: heleny
I understand that some idiots would vote by whatever was closest to the top of the list, but most people are going to want to vote for their favorite candidate. So now everyone has to spend time searching for the name.
20 posted on 08/11/2003 3:23:40 PM PDT by Rabid Dog
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