The city of Durango drew names Monday to determine the order in which candidates for City Council election will appear on the ballot.
Douglas Snow will appear first on the ballot, followed by Gilda Yazzie, David Woodruff, Harrison Wendt and Carter Rogers. The five candidates are vying for two open seats on City Council.
The city conducts the drawing by choosing names out of a hat.
“Some candidates think that being first or last has some kind of benefit in the voting structure,” said City Clerk Faye Harmer. “I don't know if it does or not, personally, but we do this just to make sure that there's no favoritism by our department.”
An employee from the municipal court drew from the hat, because that person is not a city elector and is not affiliated with the election process, Harmer said.
Carter Rogers was the only candidate to attend the drawing. DurangoSpace co-founder Jasper Welch was in attendance to represent David Woodruff. Welch said Woodruff was on vacation.
Rogers studies political science at Fort Lewis College and said some studies suggest name placement on ballots can have a slight impact on how voters cast votes. Names placed higher on the ballot typically receive higher vote totals in instances when voters don’t recognize names on the ballot, he said.
Despite being the last name on the ballot, the 20-year-old candidate wasn’t concerned about his ballot placement and said he feels confident about his campaign. He recently received an endorsement from Starlight Lounge among other downtown businesses.
Rogers, who is the youngest candidate on the ballot, said he is proud to represent younger generations and is looking forward to the April 4 election.
tbrown@durangoherald.com
