ISBE draws for first and last on ballot

Posted on December 11, 2019
The drawing took place Wednesday afternoon in Springfield. (Dave Dahl/WJBC)

 

By Dave Dahl

SPRINGFIELD – In another old-fashioned Illinois custom, someone draws Ping Pong balls out of a wooden box to determine who appears first and who appears last on the March 17 primary ballot.

Only one candidate – Tad Brenner, a judicial hopeful who drove two hours each way – came to Springfield to see it for himself.

“I think it’s really an interesting way of doing things,” he said afterward. “It is a very fair way of doing things. Just seeing the professionalism of the folks at the State Board of Elections should be a comfort to all of our citizens and voters.”

For what it’s worth, Brennan appears first on the ballot. Some believe being first or last gives one an advantage, but the board says there’s no research to back that up.

Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected]

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