Candidates for March primary election in Illinois assigned their spots

Posted on December 14, 2023

*The primary election is March 19. (WJBC file photo)*

By Dave Dahl

SPRINGFIELD – The process of determining which candidates place where on the Illinois primary election ballot is high-tech enough to attract an audience on Zoom – and simple enough to require only Ping Pong balls and a wooden box.

“I do think the lack of complexities makes it easier for us to have a transparent process,” said Brent Davis, director of election operations for the Illinois State Board of Elections. “Not much can go wrong with an empty box and a set of Lotto balls.”

Candidates are assigned numbers alphabetically, then the numbers are drawn from the box. The order Wednesday was 1, 3, 4, and 2 for the top spot and 1 and 2 for the bottom spot.

The primary election is March 19.

Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected]

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