How Ballot Positions Are Decided In Ocean County

by Patricia A. Miller

Did you ever wonder how one candidate ends up at the top of the ballot and another at the bottom?

First off, candidates do not have to be present at the drawing. New Jersey election laws mandate that the drawing is held in the County Clerk’s Office. The drawing for 2015 positions took place on Aug. 10 in Ocean County to determine ballot position and order for all candidates who filed nominating petitions, County Clerk Scott M. Colabella said.

The only exceptions occur in towns where the municipal election is non-partisan. In that case, the town’s municipal clerk conducts the drawings, he said.

How is the drawing conducted?

“I simply fill identical capsules with a strip of paper, which contains a printed name of a candidate and place the capsules in a drawing box which I shake over my head and then proceed to open the box and pull one capsule at a time and open the capsule to determine which name will be printed on the ballot first...” Colabella said.