GOP Lawmaker Surprises by Aligning with Dems on Ballot Top Billing

A Republican lawmaker from Scottsdale has acknowledged that the current system for determining ballot order is unfair. Representative Alexander Kolodin now supports a legislative change to address this issue, reversing previous Republican advantages stemming from the last governor’s race.

Kolodin’s proposed legislation, HB2045, would mandate that the order of candidates on general election ballots be rotated among voting precincts within each county. His aim is to ensure that all parties have an equitable chance of appearing first on the ballot.

The existing ballot order system, linked to the previous gubernatorial election outcome, has favored Republicans. In the 2022 elections, the GOP was listed before Democrats in 11 of the 15 counties where former Governor Doug Ducey achieved victory over Democrat David Garcia. This includes Maricopa County, the state’s most populous area.

The Democratic National Committee previously challenged the ballot order system in 2019, arguing that it offered an unfair advantage. They cited research indicating that candidates listed first on ballots could benefit by around 2.2 percentage points, with the advantage potentially rising to 5.6 percentage points in some cases.

Despite their efforts, including appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court, the Democrats did not succeed in having the court enforce a rotation for general elections. However, Kolodin now admits that their concerns were valid.

“It provides a statistical advantage to the group of candidates listed first,” Kolodin stated, echoing the arguments previously made in court.

The outcome of the 2022 gubernatorial race, where Democrat Katie Hobbs defeated Republican Kari Lake, has shifted dynamics. This victory allowed Democrats to secure top ballot positions in five counties, including the vital Maricopa and Pima counties, which represent a significant portion of the state’s electorate.

If Kolodin’s measure is enacted, this preferential treatment would be replaced with a random rotation system, rebalancing the electoral playing field.

However, Kolodin recognizes the political motives behind his proposal, particularly that Democrats attempted to alter the law for their own benefit through litigation. He believes legislative decisions should not fall to the courts, maintaining that it’s the Legislature’s responsibility to address such matters.

Kolodin argues that Republican lawmakers of the past had the right to establish a system that favored their candidates after securing election victories. He contends that changing the advantages mid-term is not fair to the party in power.

“It’s not fair to take that advantage away from a political party in the middle of a gubernatorial term,” he remarked, defending the previous system that benefited Republicans in light of their successes in prior elections.

Interestingly, Kolodin’s initiative would not take effect until 2027. This means that should the legislation pass, Democratic candidates would still appear first in the upcoming election where Hobbs will seek re-election. The implications of the new system will only resonate in future elections, leaving current advantages intact.