California holds ballot lottery

Well, we have some clue as to the recall election's ballot order.

The first letter chosen was "R", followed by W, Q, and O. The "B"s will be 9th, and "S"s 10th.

But that apparently doesn't determine the order of the candidates.

The lottery-style alphabetical system will rotate names on 80 different ballots in each of the state's Assembly districts. Under the system, candidates who start near the top in ballots used in northern California will shift to the bottom in southern California and work their way toward the middle, possibly for ballots in the 24 voter-rich Assembly districts of Los Angeles.

What is clear is that Bustamante, Schwarzegger, Simon and Huffington will all be grouped together. Depending on where McClintock lands, he may get prominent ballot placement at least in some parts of the state.

The Secretary of State has certified about 90 names for the ballot, and is still looking at nearly 100 more.

Posted August 11, 2003 02:37 PM