The Republican candidates for statewide office will be listed first on the ballot for the Nov. 3 statewide elections.
The GOP name was drawn from a bowl at a State Board of Elections meeting yesterday. The Republican candidates' names will be first in House of Delegates races as well.
So it will be Bob McDonnell, then R. Creigh Deeds for governor; Bill Bolling, then Jody Wagner for lieutenant governor; and Ken Cuccinelli, then Steve Shannon for attorney general.
University of Virginia political commentator Larry J. Sabato said the ballot placement makes little difference, particularly in the race for governor, because voters by Election Day know who the candidates are.
But he said it could have made a difference four years ago when McDonnell beat Deeds by just 360 votes in the contest for attorney general. The name of GOP candidates was first then, too. Candidates for lieutenant governor and attorney general are not as well-known, he explained.
Also this year, for the first time since 1989, there will be no third-party or independent candidates on the statewide ballot. There will be 26 independents or third-party candidates in House of Delegates races, however. -- Tyler Whitley
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