Lottery determines ballot placement for Lake Co. candidates

Ballot placement for 17 Lake County races in the March 2012 primary election was determined by a local lottery Monday.

In all 17 contests, the candidates will be listed on the ballot in alphabetical order, said Cindy Pagano, Lake County’s chief deputy clerk.

Some politicians believe being listed first in a race can give a candidate a slight bump on Election Day. That could be good news for Lake County Commissioner Carol Calabresa, who will be listed first in the GOP primary for the 15th District seat on the county board because of Monday’s lottery.

“I’d appreciate any edge I can get in this race,” said Calabresa, who is facing a rare primary challenge from Dan Donahue.

In Illinois, whoever files candidate petitions first in a race is listed first on the ballot. When candidates submit paperwork at the same time, a lottery is required to determine ballot order.

That happened in 17 Lake County races on Nov. 28, the first day of filing for the March 20, 2012, primary election.

Monday’s lottery was held at the clerk’s office in Waukegan. Candidates were assigned letters, and pieces of paper with those letters were folded, placed in a wicker basket and chosen at random.

The basket regularly is used for such drawings and has no sentimental value or political significance, Pagano said.

One drawing determined the ballot order for all 17 races, she said.

In the Republican primary for Lake County circuit court clerk, Keith Brin will be listed first and Gerald T. Dietz will be listed second.

In the Democratic primary for Lake County coroner, challenger Thomas A. Rudd will be listed first and incumbent Artis Yancey will be listed second.

Two Republicans filed simultaneously in Lake County recorder’s race. Bob Bednar will be listed first and Marty Blumenthal will be second.

The lottery determined ballot placement for the Democratic and GOP candidates for state’s attorney.

In the Democratic primary, Chris Kennedy will be listed first, followed by Reginald C. Mathews and Karen Boyd Williams.

As for the Republicans, Louise Hayes will be listed first. She’ll be followed by Mike Nerheim and Bryan R. Winter.

The Democratic primary for the county board’s 2nd District seat drew three candidates. Incumbent Diane Hewitt will be listed first, followed by Beverly Stackhouse-Mull and Mark Stricklin.

Hewitt attended the drawing and admitted being excited by her top placement.

“I’ve never been first before, so it’s fun,” said Hewitt, who ran unsuccessfully in 2006 but won her seat in 2008.

In the Republican primary for the county board’s 3rd District seat, incumbent Jim Newton will be first on the ballot. Tom Weber filed at the same time and will be listed second. James Creighton Mitchell Jr. filed later and will be listed third.

The lottery determined placement in the Democratic primary for the county board’s 9th District seat, too. Incumbent Mary Ross Cunningham will be listed first and Ann Kindle will be listed second. Germain Castellanos filed later and will be listed third.

In the Republican primary for the county board’s 12th District seat, Scott J. Helton will be listed first on the ballot and Mike Rummel will be listed second.

Three Republicans filed simultaneously for the 13th District seat, too. The ballot will list David N. Barkhausen, Jay Krasne and Rick Lesser, in that order.

In the 16th District Republican primary, Michael Carbone will be listed first and Rene Hernandez Jr. will be listed second.

Two Republicans filed simultaneously for the 17th District primary, too. Dan Quick will be listed first and Nick Sauer will be listed second. Mary Schorr, who filed later, will appear third.

Quick didn’t put a lot of stock in the theory about ballot placement influencing election results.

“I hope people look at the candidates’ qualifications,” he said. “I think that’s really what’s important.”

Finally, in the Democratic race for the North Shore Sanitary District’s 3rd Ward seat, Jose L. Guzman will be listed first. Beverly Sugar Young filed at the same time and will be listed second. Also running are Jerry Archibald Sr., Gerald F. Jones and Tommy Ryan.

Ballot placement for three Republican committee precinct races was determined Monday, too.

A complete candidate list can be found online at lakecountyil.gov.

Ballot placement for state House and Senate candidates who filed paperwork simultaneously will be determined by a separate lottery. That drawing is set for 2 p.m. Wednesday at the state board of elections office in Springfield.

Primary winners will progress to the general election in November 2012.