The winners on the 2013 ballot are… Eliot Spitzer AND Scott Stringer.
Our Annie Karni reports:
In past elections, the line for controller has been “downballot,” i.e. below the names of the candidates running for mayor.
This year, for the first time, the names of the controller candidates appear in a column flush right with the top two mayoral candidate’s names, thrusting the controller race front and center in the voting booth.
The further down a name is on the ballot, “there’s usually somewhat of a drop-off,” said political consultant Jerry Skurnik. But the new layout (
pictured
) means there will likely be more votes cast in the race controller, where a Wednesday poll shows Democrats Spitzer and Stringer in a dead heat.
A spokeswoman for the city Board of Elections said the change in poll position of the controller’s race was made because of the “sheer number of candidates” for mayor.
There are nine mayoral candidates on the ballot, which is also translated from English into Spanish, Chinese, Korean and Bengali, in certain neighborhoods.
In that crowded race for mayor race, order also matters.
“The top name gets an advantage, and if there are a lot of names the bottom name is actually better than the middle,” said Skurnik. “Number one and two and the last one have the advantage.”
To keep things fair, the order of all the names on the ballot will rotate depending on the district.
For instance, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who appears in the unlucky middle of the Manhattan ballot shown here, could appear first on a ballot in a Brooklyn district.
Printed ballots will also rotate names by lot, BOE spokeswoman Valerie Vazquez said.
Because of the possibility of a quick turnaround runoff, the city is using its old lever voting machines in the primary instead of its electronic ballot scanners, which will return for the November general.
