State Sen. Cronin will top ballot in DuPage chairman's race
If conventional wisdom holds true, state Sen. Dan Cronin picked up an extra 5 percent of the Republican votes Tuesday in his bid for the DuPage County Board Chairman's seat.
Cronin won a special lottery conducted by the DuPage Election Commission to determine which of the three GOP chairman candidates who were in line at 8 a.m. on the first day of filing for the Feb. 2, 2010 primary would be first on the ballot. Current District 4 county board member Debra Olson will be the second candidate on the ballot, and Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso will be third. State Sen. Carole Pankau will be listed last because she filed on the final day allowed.
Studies have backed up what political pundits have long believed: The top ballot spot in a multicandidate race can add as much as 5 percent to a candidate's vote total. The bottom spot has been shown to have an additional advantage as well. Research on the topic in a 2004 edition of "The Journal of Politics" concluded that ballot position "can determine election outcomes."
The lottery was held by drawing lettered ping-pong balls out of a box. Each candidates was randomly assigned a letter, election officials said.
Four other lotteries were held to determine the order of the GOP ballot in DuPage. Sheriff John Zaruba will be listed before challenger Mike Quiroz. Former Downers Grove Mayor Brian Krajewski will be first in the race for the 2-year term District 3 county board seat followed by Dennis Brennan. Greg Abbott is the third candidate in that race.
Incumbent District 5 county board member John Zediker will be first on the ballot followed by regional school district Trustee Joe Wozniak. In the District 6 county board lottery, Bob Larsen won the lottery over West Chicago Alderman Matt Fuesting who will be listed second. Paul Darrah is the third candidate in that race.
None of the Democrats filed simultaneously, so there was no need for a lottery in those races.
After the primary, the election commission will hold another lottery to determine if Democratic or Republican candidates will be listed first on the Nov. 2, 2010 general election ballot.