Why Harris gets top spot while Trump falls near bottom on 2024 North Carolina ballot
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- With absentee ballots set to be mailed next week, we're getting a look at what these ballots will look like.
Some are raising questions about the order of names on the ballot as North Carolina plays a key role in the race for the White House.
You can now find sample ballots on most county Board of Elections websites, allowing you to review the candidates before you vote. Each ballot has at least 20 races and ballot questions, with the presidential race being the first one listed.
Here's what you'll notice:
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is still listed as a presidential candidate despite dropping out of the race.
In a 3-2 vote Thursday, the board decided to keep Kennedy on the 2024 ballot, citing it is too late to reprint ballots already being prepared for voters. Kennedy, in response, is suing the board to remove his name.
WATCH | RFK Jr. sues NC elections board to get name off ballot
- Kamala Harris' name is listed first, while Donald Trump's is closer to the bottom.
That's had some Republicans on social media raising concerns, wondering if that ballot position would give Harris an advantage.
But, It ultimately depended on pure luck of the draw.
How order of candidates are decided
The Board of Elections randomly selects a letter before each election cycle to determine which candidate's last name will appear first.
In last year's drawing, they picked the letter "D" at random, meaning last names starting with D will appear first.
They then flip a coin to decide whether to go alphabetical (heads) or reverse alphabetical (tails). Heads won, so the names for each race will appear alphabetically starting with D, E, F, G, etc., with A, B, and C, appearing last after Z.
For example, you can see that the Attorney General's race, Dan Bishop is listed after Jeff Jackson.
If Joe Biden had still been the Democratic nominee, his name would have been listed last. RFK Jr. would have been the first name on the ballot.
For those wondering if Donald Trump got the short end of the stick, consider that the lucky draw worked in his favor in 2016 and 2020. He was listed first on the ballot in North Carolina two election cycles in a row.
For 2024, however, it will be Harris with the lucky first spot on the ballot.
