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Clout a loser in election ballot draw

Professing no firsthand knowledge, Cook County Clerk David Orr said that in the past, political insiders used tricks to ensure the right names won top billing on election ballots.

If any nefarious forces were behind Wednesday’s lottery for ballot position in county races in the March primary, they certainly weren’t working for the incumbents.

Challengers won the coveted top position in the first four drawings held, including in the race for Cook County Board president where Forrest Claypool’s name will appear above that of John Stroger on the ballot.

Claypool downplayed the small victory, saying that in a high-profile race such as his, the position of the names is not so important.

Nevertheless, his campaign joined dozens of others earlier this month who filed nominating petitions when the clerk’s office first started accepting them, making him eligible for the lottery.

“I’d rather have first ballot position than not … but I don’t put a lot of emphasis on it,” Claypool said Wednesday. “Even if it’s a few votes extra, I’d rather have them than not.”

Four years ago, Claypool’s name was second on the ballot when he beat incumbent County Commissioner Ted Lechowicz in the Democratic primary.

Stroger said he isn’t disappointed that his name will appear second on the ballot. He said getting his message out to voters is far more important.

“In terms of how the voters will react will depend on how we advance the issues … and I plan to be an aggressive campaigner,” he said.

As far as votes go, Stroger said the top ballot position may account for “a minor percentage, but I don’t think it’s so significant that it’ll make a real difference.”

Orr said the top ballot position may be most useful in the race for commissioner at the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District where the field is crowded and the profile is low.

“A race like that, if there’s any place it would help it’s there,” Orr said of the contest featuring 12 candidates for three seats. “Clearly it’s better to be first. There are some people who walk in and just snap the first one.”

Wednesday’s lottery worked in favor of outsiders in that race, too, with challengers Dean Maragos and Debra Shore winning the top two slots. The three candidates slated by the Democratic Party will be clumped in the middle.

The drawing was held in Orr’s office with a number of candidates and the media watching. Because he’s a candidate in the election, Orr turned over the duties of picking the names to Tina Filipatos, 18, of Park Ridge, an alum of his teen election judge program.

For each race, the candidate names printed on paper cards were inserted into empty drug prescription bottles that were placed inside a clear plastic fishbowl.

Deborah Sims, a county commissioner who attended, watched stoically as Filipatos drew a bottle and Orr read the name of her competitor, DianM. Powell.

“We’re still going to win,” said Sims, whose 5th District includes the Far South Side of Chicago and a number of south suburbs such as Harvey and Blue Island. “We’re not going to fret about it.”

In another south suburban district, the 6th, ballot position could play a factor. Four years ago, County Commissioner Joan Murphy won the Democratic primary with her name first amid a field of six candidates.

In the March primary, Murphy will be sandwiched between two challengers, considered an undesirable ballot spot.

The full results of Wednesday’s lottery are available online at www.voterinfonet.com under the heading, “Election News.”

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mciokajlo@tribune.com