California Determines Recall Ballot Order

[Democat]

SACRAMENTO - In an election that threatens to rewrite politics and reduce the term in office of Gov. Gray Davis (news - web sites), the lesson of the day Monday was that the alphabet begins with the letter "R" — as in "recall."

The first letter chosen was R, followed by W, Q and O.

The letters H, B and S, were drawn as eighth, ninth and tenth, meaning that some high-profile candidates, commentator Arianna Huffington, Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger will be relatively near each other on most ballots.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=3&u=/ap/20030811/ap_on_el_gu/davis_recall_259

[CMT]

1. Well that is good

At least Bustamante will be before Schwarzenegger on the ballot.

[Brotherjohn]

2. No no!! Stop that!!! This is just TOO SILLY!! Silly, I say!!!

Apologies to the late Graham Chapman, but what Califormia really needs is for his Monty Python "General" character to step in and put a stop to this silliness!

[robbedvoter]

3. So, I the voter am supposed to learn this new alphabet?

You have to remember, there are almost 200 names on many pages. As I said, the butterfly ballot was a joy compared to this!

[slackmaster]

5. It's no harder than learning to type on a Dvorak keyboard

It's time to see this election for its most valuable function: Entertainment.

[jiacinto]

4. So will they be on the first page or not

What type of system do they use in CA?

[slackmaster]

6. Punch cards with booklets in most places

Kind of like the chad-afflicted system Florida used in the 2000 election, but ours are more strictly columnar. I think they can get all the candidates on one card and in one book. It will be pretty tight.

See http://www.ss.ca.gov/elections/voting_systems.pdf for more complete information.

[jiacinto]

8. And the print is going to be so small that elderly people

won't be able to read it?

[David__77]

10. It's not too small...

But some people may need assistance, no doubt. There will be at least ten pages of candidates' names. What I want to know, is if the Secretary of State will be publishing a book of all the candidate's statements. Usually, this occurs for statewide elections.

[jiacinto]

12. Of course he will have to do

Isn't CA like that?

[The Sushi Bandit]

7. Get out you decoder rings!

http://www.ss.ca.gov/elections/statewide_special_random_alpha.htm

here is the complete listing

[slackmaster]

9. Angelyne comes before H, B, or S

.

[gratuitous]

11. Such a multiplicity of candidates!

Some folks might even be spurred into reading their voters' pamphlets and doing a little self-educating to figure out who to vote for. There is some good to go with the bad here.

[robbedvoter]

14. Oh, yeah! Make it a phone book - it will grab everyone's attention!

Everyone knows phone books would be best sellers if not for the boring alphabetizing! Whatch them voters run and learn them by heart now!

[The Sushi Bandit]

13. Here is the listing of Candidates!

This is how the approved candidates will be listed on the California ballot according to the randon letter sequence approved today.

1. Rabbit, Roger
2. Winfrey Opra
3. Quasimoto
4. Oreo, Joe
5. Jackson, Michael
6. Moore, Michael
7. Vixen, Bubbles
8. Ashcroft, John
9. Hussein, Saddam
10. Barney
11. Stewart, Martha
12. Gates, Bill
13. Zappa, Farnk
14. X, Malcom
15. Nader, Ralph
16. Thurman, Ulma
17. C
18. Ito, Judge
19. Eisner, Michael
20. K
21. U
22. Paulson, Pat
23. Disney, Walt
24. Yakoff Smirnoff
25. F
26. Lieberman, Joe

Please note that the letters #17 (C), #20 (K), #21 (U), & #25 (F) are not going to be used. They are reserved for how California voters will feel after the election.