Rules on ballot order and party labeling

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States have different rules dictating how offices and candidates are presented to voters on the ballot. These policies can affect the order in which candidates are displayed on the ballot, where a candidate's party affiliation is noted, and the manner in which offices are ordered on the ballot.

As of August 2025, 13 states and the District of Columbia randomly decided candidate order, eight states required candidates be displayed in a specific order based on their party, eight states required candidates be listed alphabetically on the ballot, four states rotated candidate order depending on voting precinct, one state listed incumbents first, one state placed candidates in the order they filed to run, and 15 states used multiple different methods.

A majority of states also have laws or regulations mandating whether a candidate's party affiliation be placed on the ballot and, if so, where. Thirty states required a candidate's party affiliation immediately follow their name on the ballot, 15 states required candidates be grouped or positioned on the ballot by party, and five states and the District of Columbia had no specific rules.

All but eight states and the District of Columbia have laws or regulations mandating the order in which offices such as president, U.S. Senate, and governor appear on the ballot. In every state with requirements, president is the first elected office listed on the ballot. Thirty-one states listed the U.S. Senate as the second office on the ballot or the first office in non-presidential elections, while eleven states listed governor as the second office on the ballot or the first office in non-presidential elections.

This article includes the following information about ballot order and design:

• Laws determining candidate order on ballots.
• Laws determining partisan affiliation on ballots.
• Laws determining office order on ballots.
• Research on how ballot order could affect electoral results.

Laws determining candidate order on ballots

States have laws and regulations that determine the order in which candidates appear on the ballot in primary and general elections.

As of August 2025, 13 states and the District of Columbia randomly decided candidate order by lot, eight states mandated candidates be displayed in a specific order based on their party, eight states listed candidates alphabetically on the ballot, four states rotated the candidate order depending on voting precinct, one state, Massachusetts, listed incumbents first, one state, Illinois, listed candidates in order of filing, and 15 states used some combination of different methods.

Rules governing the order of candidates on the ballot as of August 2025

State	Candidate order	Official rule
Alabama	Candidates are listed in alphabetical order.	Statute 17-6-25
Alaska	The order of candidates for state representative are determined by random draw. The order of candidates for all other federal and state offices are rotated.	Statute 15-15-030
Arizona	In primary elections, candidates are rotated so that they appear equally on the top, middle, and bottom of the ballot order. In general elections, candidates are ordered by party performance in the last gubernatorial vote in the county, followed by candidates for parties not on the ballot during the last gubernatorial election in alphabetical order, followed by unaffiliated candidates in alphabetical order. If there is more than one candidate running from the same party, candidate names are alternated.	Statute 14-464 Statute 16-502
Arkansas	The order of candidates is determined by random draw held by the county board of election commissioners.	Statute 7-7-305
California	The alphabet is arranged randomly by lot by the secretary of state, and then candidates are ordered by surname according to the randomized alphabet.	Statute 13112
Colorado	Candidates for president and governor are ordered alphabetically. Candidates for all other offices are arranged into three groups by major political party, minor political party, and all other political parties. In each of these three groups, candidates are ordered by lot.	1-5-404
Connecticut	Candidates are ordered by party in the following order:	|Statute 9-249a
Delaware	Candidates are arranged in columns by party. Democratic candidates are placed in the first column, followed by Republicans, and then other parties are placed by the decision of the Department of Elections. Unaffiliated candidates appear in alphabetical order after the listing of the political parties.	Statute 15-4502
District of Columbia	The order of candidates is determined by lot.	D.C. Code § 1-1001.08
Florida	In primary elections, candidates are ordered alphabetically. In general elections, candidates from the party that received the most votes for governor in the last election are placed first. Minor party candidates appear in the order they qualified.	Statute 101.151
Georgia	In a primary or special election, candidates are listed alphabetically. In a general election, candidates are arranged in party columns. These columns are ordered by how many votes the party received in the last gubernatorial election in descending order, followed by parties without a gubernatorial candidate in the last election in alphabetical order, followed by independent candidates, and lastly write-in candidates. If two or more candidates with the same party designation are candidates for the same office then they are listed in alphabetical order.	Statute 21-2-285
Hawaii	Candidates are listed in alphabetical order.	Statute 11-115
Idaho	For all federal, state, county, and city offices the candidate names are rotated in a manner determined by the secretary of state. In elections in a political entity with fewer than 100,000 registered voters, candidates names are ordered using a random alphabet.	Idaho Code § 34-903
Illinois	Candidates are arranged in the order of filing. For candidates who filed simultaneously, a lottery is held.	10 ILCS 5/7-12
Indiana	Candidates are arranged in party columns. The parties are ordered based on how many votes their candidate for secretary of state received in the previous election. All other parties are listed on the ballot in order in which they filed a petition of nomination.	IC 3-11-2-6
Iowa	Counties are ordered alphabetically and then numbered by secretary of state. The two parties that received the most votes in the previous election are ordered alphabetically. Then:	|IA Code 49.31
Kansas	The state is divided into as many geographical divisions as there are candidates in a particular race. Candidates are ordered differently in each election division based on an alphabetic rotation.	Statute 25-610
Kentucky	The order of candidates is determined by random draw held by the secretary of state.	Statute 118.225
Louisiana	Candidates and parties are listed in alphabetical order.	Statute 18-551
Maine	Candidates are listed in alphabetical order.	Statute 21-601
Maryland	In primary elections, candidates are grouped together by party. In general elections, candidates are ordered by party, with majority party candidates first, followed by the principal minority party candidates, then by party based on the number of voters registered to that party, and then by candidates not nominees of a political party.	MD Statutes 9.210
Massachusetts	Incumbents are listed first, followed by the names of candidates of political parties, and then followed by the names of all other candidates.	Statute 8.54.42
Michigan	In primary and nonpartisan elections, candidate order is rotated alphabetically by precinct such that each candidate does not appear at the top of the order more times than any other candidate in that race. In partisan general elections, the party receiving the most votes in the last election for secretary of state is placed first on the ballot, with the other parties to follow in order of votes received.	MCL Section 168.569a MCL Section 168.703
Minnesota	General election candidates for president are ordered by party based on the following formula: the total number of votes for all party candidates for state office divided by the number of candidates. Parties are listed in ascending order (small averages first). Candidates for all other partisan offices, as well as primary elections candidates, are rotated with names of other candidates "so that the name of each candidate appears substantially an equal number of times at the top, at the bottom, and at each intermediate place in that group of candidates."	Statute 204D.08 Statute 204D.13
Mississippi	Candidates are listed in alphabetical order by last name.	Statute 23-15-367
Missouri	Candidates are ordered by party. Parties are ordered by the party that won the last gubernatorial election, followed by other parties in descending vote order. New parties appear next in the order their petition was filed. Independent candidates are listed after all party candidates.	Statute 115.239
Montana	Candidate order is rotated alphabetically so that each candidate appears at the top of the list for each office on as equal a number of ballots as possible. All ballots used in a single precinct must be identical.	Statute 13-12-205
Nebraska	For partisan offices, candidates are ordered by party based on the number of votes that party received in the last gubernatorial election, with candidates nominated via petition after. For nonpartisan offices and in primary elections, candidates are listed in order of filing and then rotated by precinct/ward.	Statute 32-810 Statute 32-814 Statute 32-815
Nevada	Candidates are listed in alphabetical order.	NRS 293.267
New Hampshire	Candidates are ordered by the secretary of state using a randomized draw.	Section 656:5-a
New Jersey	Candidates are grouped by party with party order determined by the county clerk publicly drawing lots.	Statute 19:14-12
New Mexico	The state randomizes the alphabet. Candidates are listed in alphabetical order according to that randomized alphabet. If two candidates share identical names order is determined by a drawing a card form a 52-card deck (jokers, aces, and face cards removed) and the candidate with the higher card drawn. Independent candidates are listed after partisan candidates in alphabetical order (following the randomized alphabet).	Rule 1.10.7.8 Rule 1.10.7.9
New York	In primary elections, election officials determine candidate order. In general elections, candidates are ordered by party based on the number of votes that party received in the last gubernatorial election. Unaffiliated candidates appear after partisan candidates in an order decided by election officials. For offices in which two or more people are elected, candidates can request the order be determined by lot.	Statute 7-116
North Carolina	Candidates are listed in either alphabetical or reverse alphabetical order. The secretary of state determines which order to use by a random drawing.	Statute 163-165.6
North Dakota	Candidate names are alternated.	ND Century Code 16.1-06-05
Ohio	Candidate names are rotated in each precinct.	Statute 3505.03
Oklahoma	In primary elections, candidate names are rotated, except on absentee ballots, where the order is determined by the secretary of the state election board. In general elections, candidates from recognized parties are printed first in an order determined by lot, followed by independent candidates in an order determined by lot.	Statute 26-6-106 Statute 26-6-107
Oregon	The state randomizes the alphabet. Candidates are listed in alphabetical order according to that randomized alphabet.	ORS § 254.155
Pennsylvania	In the primary election, candidates are ordered by lot. In the general election, candidates are ordered by party based on the number of votes that party received in the last gubernatorial election. Candidates from parties that did not appear on the ballot in the last gubernatorial election are arranged alphebetically.	25 PS 2962 25 PS 2963
Rhode Island	Candidates in primary elections endorsed by their party are printed first on the ballot, with unendorsed candidates following. If no candidates are endorsed, candidate order is determined by lot for federal and state offices. Party order for general elections is determined by lot.	100-RICR-20-00-1 100-RICR-20-00-1.2
South Carolina	Candidates for partisan general election races are ordered by the State Election Commission. Candidates for nonpartisan general election races, as well as primary elections, are listed in alphabetical order.	S.C. Code §7-13-320 S.C. Code §7-13-335 S.C. Code §7-13-610
South Dakota	Party order is determined by random draw and candidate order within a party is also determined by random draw.	S.D. Codified Laws § 12-16-3.1 S.D. Codified Laws § 12-16-8
Tennessee	On the primary ballot, candidates are listed alphabetically. On the general election ballot, party columns are ordered as follows: majority party, minority party, recognized minor parties, and independents. Candidates are listed in alphabetical order within the party columns.	Tenn. Code Ann. § 2-5-208 (d)
Texas	Candidates are ordered by party based on the number of votes that party received in the last gubernatorial election. Parties that did not participate in the last gubernatorial election are determined by random draw. Unaffiliated candidates are ordered by random draw.	Statute 52.091 Statute 52.094
Utah	The state randomizes the alphabet. Candidates are listed in alphabetical order according to that randomized alphabet.	Statute 20A-6-110
Vermont	Candidates are listed in alphabetical order.	17 V.S.A. § 2472
Virginia	Party order is determined by lot.	Va. Code §24.2-613.C
Washington	For the office of president, parties are ordered based on the number of votes that party received in the last presidential election, followed by independent candidates and then parties without a presidential candidate. Independent and minor parties are listed in order of their qualification with the secretary of state. Other candidates are ordered by random draw.	Statute 29A-36-131 Statute 29A-36-161
West Virginia	Candidates are ordered by random draw. Parties are ordered based on the number of votes that party received in the last presidential election, followed by parties without a presidential candidate. The order of candidates in a primary election is determined by lot.	WV State Code 3-6-2 WV State Code 3-15-13A
Wisconsin	Parties are ordered based on the number of votes that party received in the last presidential or gubernatorial election. Unaffiliated candidates are ordered by random draw.	Wisconsin Statute 5.64
Wyoming	Parties are ordered by county based on the number of votes that party received in the U.S. House election in that county, followed by provisional parties ordered by random draw. Independent candidates are then listed in alphabetical order. Candidates are then rotated in each precinct.	WY Stat § 22-6-121 WY Stat § 22-6-122

Laws determining the placement of party affiliation

States have different laws or rules about where a candidate's party affiliation is displayed on the ballot. As of August 2025, 30 states required a candidate's party affiliation immediately follow their name on the ballot, 15 states required candidates be grouped or positioned on the ballot by party and five states and the District of Columbia had no specific rules.

Rules governing party affiliation on the ballot as of August 2025

State	Party affiliation	Official rule
Alabama	Candidates appear in party columns.	Statute 17-6-24
Alaska	Party designation appears after a candidate's name, upon request of the candidate.	Statute 15-15-030(5)
Arizona	Party designation appears after a candidate's name.	Statute 16-502(C)
Arkansas	Arkansas does not have rules governing the appearance of party affiliation on the ballot.	N/A
California	Party designation appears after a candidate's name.	Statute 13105
Colorado	Party designation appears after a candidate's name.	Statute 1-5-403
Connecticut	Candidates appear in party columns.	Statute 9-250
Delaware	Candidates appear in party columns.	Statute 15-4502
District of Columbia	The District of Columbia does not have rules governing the appearance of party affiliation on the ballot.	N/A
Florida	Party designation appears after a candidate's name.	Statute 101.151(3)(a)
Georgia	Candidates appear in party columns.	Statute 21-2-285
Hawaii	Hawaii requires candidate's party affiliation be printed on ballots but does not mandate where it is placed.	Statute 11-112
Idaho	Idaho does not have rules governing the appearance of party affiliation on the ballot.	N/A
Illinois	Candidates appear in party columns.	10 ILCS 5/16-3
Indiana	Candidates appear in party columns.	IC 3-11-2-9
Iowa	Party designation appears after a candidate's name.	IA Code 49.57
Kansas	Party designation appears after a candidate's name.	K.S.A. §25-613
Kentucky	Party designation appears after a candidate's name.	Statute 117.145
Louisiana	Party designation appears after a candidate's name.	Statute 18-551(2)(D)
Maine	Party designation appears after a candidate's name.	Statute 21-601(2B)
Maryland	Party designation appears after a candidate's name.	MD Law Code 9.210(g)(1)
Massachusetts	Party designation appears after a candidate's name.	Statute 8.54.41
Michigan	Party designation appears after a candidate's name.	Michigan Ballot Productions Standards Chapter 20
Minnesota	Party designation appears after a candidate's name.	Statute 204B.36
Mississippi	Mississippi does not have rules governing the appearance of party affiliation on the ballot.	N/A
Missouri	Party designation appears after a candidate's name.	Statute 115.237 Statute 115.239
Montana	Party designation appears after a candidate's name.	Statute 13-12-203
Nebraska	Party designation appears after a candidate's name.	Statute 32-817
Nevada	Party designation appears after a candidate's name.	NRS 293.267
New Hampshire	Candidates appear in party columns.	Section 656:9
New Jersey	Candidates appear in party columns.	Statute 19:14-12
New Mexico	Party designation appears after a candidate's name.	NM Administrative Rule 1.10.6.8
New York	Party designation appears after a candidate's name.	Statute 7-104
North Carolina	North Carolina requires party designations be printed on ballots but does not dictate where they are placed.	Statute 163-165.5
North Dakota	Party designation appears after a candidate's name.	ND Century Code 16.1-06-05
Ohio	Party designation appears after a candidate's name.	Statute 3505.03
Oklahoma	Party designation appears after a candidate's name.	Statute 26-6-106
Oregon	Party designation appears after a candidate's name.	ORS § 254.135
Pennsylvania	Party designation appears after a candidate's name.	25 PS 2963
Rhode Island	Party designation appears after a candidate's name.	100-RICR-20-00-1.4
South Carolina	Candidates appear in party columns.	S.C. Code §7-13-320
South Dakota	Candidates appear in party columns.	S.D. Codified Laws § 12-16-2
Tennessee	Candidates appear in party columns.	Tenn. Code Ann. § 2-5-206 (b)
Texas	Candidates appear in party columns.	Statute 52.065
Utah	Party designation appears after a candidate's name.	Statute 20A-6-301
Vermont	Party designation appears after a candidate's name.	17 V.S.A. § 2472
Virginia	Party designation appears after a candidate's name.	Va. Code §24.2-613
Washington	Party designation appears after a candidate's name.	Statute 29A-52-112
West Virginia	Candidates appear in party columns.	WV State Code 3-6-2
Wisconsin	Candidates appear in party columns.	Wisconsin Statute 5.64
Wyoming	Candidates appear in party columns.	WY Stat § 22-6-120

Laws determining office order on ballots

As of August 2025, 42 states had laws, regulations, or policies dictating what order offices appear in on primary and general election ballots. In every state, president is the first elected office listed on the ballot. Thirty-one states listed the U.S. Senate as the second office on the ballot or the first office in non-presidential elections, while eleven states listed governor as the second office on the ballot or the first office in non-presidential elections. Eight states and the District of Columbia had no rules determining the order of offices on the ballot or leave the decision up to state election officials.

The table below details how states order offices on the ballot.

Rules governing the order of offices on the ballot as of August 2025

State	Office order	Official rule
Alabama	The order of races is: President, Gov./Lt. Gov, Congress, attorney general, state legislature, judges, state executives, district offices, and other public and party officers.	Statute 17-6-25
Alaska	Alaska does not have rules governing the order of races on the ballot.	N/A
Arizona	The order of races is: President, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, state offices, and county and precinct offices.	Statute 16-502
Arkansas	Arkansas does not have rules governing the order of races on the ballot.	N/A
California	The order of races is: President, governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, controller, treasurer, attorney general, insurance commissioner, state board of equalization, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, state senate, state assembly, county committee, chief justice of state supreme court, associate justice of state supreme court, chief justice of court of appeals, associate justice of court of appeals, superior court judge, marshal, school district positions, other county offices, city offices, and other district offices,	Statute 13109
Colorado	The order of races is: President, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, Gov./Lt. Gov, state executives, state legislature, and district attorney, regional transportation district directors, other district offices greater than a county office, county commissioners, county clerk and recorder, treasurer, assessor, sheriff, surveyor, and coroner.	Statute 1-5-403
Connecticut	The order of races is: President, Gov./Lt. Gov., U.S. Senate, U.S. House, state senator, state representative, secretary of state, treasurer, comptroller, attorney general, and judge of probate.	Statute 9-251
Delaware	The order of races is: President, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, Gov./Lt. Gov.	Statute 15-4502
District of Columbia	The District of Columbia does not have rules governing the order of races on the ballot.	N/A
Florida	The order of races is: President, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, Gov., attorney general, chief financial officer, agriculture commissioner, state attorney, public defender, state senator, state representative, clerk of the circuit court, clerk of the county court, sheriff, property appraiser, tax collector, school superintendent, supervisor of elections, county board, and other county and district offices.	Statute 101.151
Georgia	Georgia does not have rules governing the order of races on the ballot.	N/A
Hawaii	The order of races is: President, U.S. Senate U.S. House, Gov./Lt. Gov, state senate, state house, and county offices.	Statute 11-114
Idaho	Races are listed in descending order beginning with the highest federal office. The secretary of state has discretion to arrange the classification of offices.	Statute 34-906
Illinois	The order of races is: Constitutional questions, statewide advisory questions, president, U.S. Senate, state executive, U.S. House, state senate, state representative, trustees of sanitary districts, county offices, and judicial offices, judicial retention questions, local public questions.	State of Illinois 2024 General Election Ballot Preparation Guide - Issued by the Illinois State Board of Elections
Indiana	The order of races is: President, U.S. Senate, Gov., secretary of state, state auditor, state treasurer, attorney general, U.S. House, state senate, state representative, circuit and county judicial offices, county offices, township offices, city offices, and town offices.	IC-3-11-2-12
Iowa	The order of races is determined by the state elections commissioner.	IA Code 49.31
Kansas	The order of races is: President, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, Gov./Lt. Gov., secretary of state, attorney general, other statewide offices, state senate, state house, district judge, district magistrate judge, district attorney, and state board of education. State law also provides for the order of county township offices.	Statute 25-611
Kentucky	Kentucky does not have rules governing the order of races on the ballot.	N/A
Louisiana	The order of races is: President, Gov./Lt. Gov., secretary of state, attorney general, treasurer, commissioner of agriculture, commissioner of insurance, U.S. senator, U.S. representative, justice of the supreme court, judge of a court of appeal, member of the public service commission, member of another state board or commission, and any other state office. State law also provides for the order for local, municipal, and political party offices.	Statute 18-551
Maine	The order of races is: President, U.S. Senate, Gov., U.S. House, state senate, state house, and county offices in the following order: judge of probate, register of probate, county treasurer, register of deeds, sheriff, district attorney and county commissioner. State law allows for the order of candidates to be changed so that elections using ranked-choice voting are separated from those that are not on the ballot.	Statute 21-601
Maryland	The order of races is: President, Gov./Lt. Gov., comptroller, attorney general, U.S. Senate, U.S. Rep., state senate, state house, and county governing bodies.	MD Statutes 9.210
Massachusetts	The order of races is: President, U.S. Senate, Gov./Lt. Gov., attorney general, secretary of state, treasurer and receiver general, auditor, U.S. House, councillor, state senator, and state representative.	Statute 8.54.43A
Michigan	The order of races is: President, Gov./Lt. Gov, secretary of state, attorney general, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, state senator, state representative, state board of education, college trustees, and county offices.	MCL Section 168.697
Minnesota	The order of races is: U.S. Senate, U.S. House, state senator, state representative, and state executives.	Statute 204D.13
Mississippi	The order of races is: President, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, Gov./Lt. Gov., secretary of state, attorney general, state treasurer, auditor of public accounts, commissioner of agriculture and commerce, commissioner of insurance, transportation commissioner, public service commissioner, district attorney, state senate, state house, countywide offices, and district offices.	Statute 23-15-367
Missouri	Missouri does not have rules governing the order of races on the ballot.	N/A
Montana	The order of races is: President, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, Gov./Lt. Gov., secretary of state, attorney general, state auditor, state superintendent of public instruction, public service commissioners, clerk of the supreme court, chief justice of the supreme court, justices of the supreme court, district court judges, state senate, state house, and county offices.	Statute 13-12-207
Nebraska	The order of races is: President, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, Gov./Lt. Gov., state offices in an order determined by the secretary of state, and nonpartisan offices.	Statute 32-813
Nevada	The order of races is: President, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, Gov., Lt. Gov, secretary of state, treasurer, controller, attorney general, state senate, state assembly, county and township partisan offices, statewide nonpartisan offices, district nonpartisan offices, county nonpartisan offices, city offices, and township nonpartisan offices.	NRS 293.268
New Hampshire	The order of races is: President, Gov., U.S. Senate, U.S. House, executive councilor, state senate, state house, and county offices.	Section 656:7
New Jersey	The order of races is: President, U.S. Senate, Gov., U.S. House, state senate, state assembly, county executive, sheriff, county clerk, surrogate, register of deeds and mortgages, county supervisor, board of chosen freeholders, coroners, mayor, and members of municipal governing bodies.	Statute 19:14-8
New Mexico	The order of races is: President, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, Gov./Lt. Gov., secretary of state, state auditor, state treasurer, attorney general, commissioner of public lands, state senator, state representative, public regulation commissioner, public education commissioner, district attorney, judicial offices, and county offices.	NM Administrative Rule 1.10.11.8
New York	New York does not have rules governing the order of races on the ballot.	N/A
North Carolina	The order of races is: U.S. Senate, U.S. House, and state and local offices (ordered according to size of electorate).	Statute 163-165.6
North Dakota	North Dakota does not have rules governing the order of races on the ballot.	N/A
Ohio	The order of races is: Gov./Lt. Gov., attorney general, auditor of state, secretary of state, treasurer of state, chief justice of the supreme court, justice of the supreme court, United States senator, representative to congress, state senator, state representative, judge of a court of appeals, county commissioner, county auditor, prosecuting attorney, clerk of the court of common pleas, sheriff, county recorder, county treasurer, county engineer, and coroner.	Statute 3505.03
Oklahoma	The order of races is determined by the order of their appearance in state statute: President and vice president, United States senator, U.S. representative, state offices, justices of the supreme court, judges of the court of criminal appeals, judges of the court of appeals, district judges and associate district judges, state senators, state representatives, district attorneys, county officers, and other officers as required by law.	Statute 26-6-103
Oregon	The order of races is: federal offices, state offices, legislative offices, county offices, city offices, nonpartisan offices, ballot measures.	| Official Ballot Statements, General Election, November 8, 2022
Pennsylvania	The order of races is: President, U.S. Senate, Gov., U.S. House, and state legislature.	25 PS 2963
Rhode Island	The order of races is: President, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, Gov., Lt. Gov., secretary of state, attorney general, treasurer, state senate, state house, and local offices.	100-RICR-20-00-1.4
South Carolina	The order of races is: Gov./Lt. Gov., secretary of state, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, and district candidates.	S.C. Code §7-13-330
South Dakota	The order of races is: President, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, state offices, legislative offices, and county offices.	S.D. Codified Laws § 12-16-5
Tennessee	The order of races is: President, Gov., U.S. Senate, U.S. House, state senate, state house, state supreme court, court of appeals, court of criminal appeals, circuit court judge, chancellor, criminal court judge, district attorney general, public defender, county mayors, county legislative offices, assessor, county trustee, general session judge, juvenile court judge, sheriff, clerks of court, county clerk, register, county department offices, and municipal offices.	Tenn. Code Ann. § 2-5-208 (c)
Texas	The order of races is: federal offices, statewide state offices, district state offices, county offices, and precinct offices.	Statute 52.092
Utah	The order of races is: President, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, Gov./Lt. Gov., attorney general, state auditor, state treasurer, state senate, state house, state board of education, county offices, municipal offices, elected planning and service district council, judicial retention questions, and other ballot propositions.	Statute 20A-6-305
Vermont	The order of races is: President, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, Gov., Lt. Gov, treasurer, secretary of state, auditor of accounts, attorney general, state senate, state house, judge of probate, assistant judge, state's attorney, sheriff, and high bailiff.	17 V.S.A. § 2471
Virginia	The order of races is: President, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, Gov./Lt. Gov., attorney general, state senate, state house, locality-wide offices, district/magisterial/ward offices, town offices, statewide issues, regional issues, locality-wide issues, district/ward issues, and town issues.	Ballot Standards: Virginia State Board of Elections
Washington	The order of races is: President, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, Gov./Lt. Gov., secretary of state, state treasurer, state auditor, attorney general, commissioner of public lands, superintendent of public instruction, insurance commissioner, state senator, state representative, county officers, justices of the supreme court, judges of the court of appeals, judges of the superior court, and judges of the district court.	Statute 29A-36-121
West Virginia	The order of races is: President, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, governor, secretary of state, auditor, treasurer, commissioner of agriculture, attorney general, state senator, state delegate, any other multicounty office, state executive committee, justice of the supreme court of appeals, judge of the circuit court, family judge, magistrate, county ticket, nonpartisan ballot, district ticket, national convention, and constitutional amendment.	WV State Code 3-6-2 WV State Code 3-15-13A
Wisconsin	The order of races is: President, Gov./Lt. Gov, attorney general, secretary of state, state treasurer, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, state senator, state representative, district attorney and the county offices.	Wisconsin Statute 5.64 Wisconsin Statute 5.62
Wyoming	The order of races is: President, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, governor, secretary of state, state auditor, state treasurer, and superintendent of public instruction, state senator, state representative, county commissioner, coroner, district attorney, county attorney, sheriff, clerk, treasurer, assessor, clerk of the district court, and candidates for precinct offices.	WY Stat § 22-6-117

Ballot order effect on election outcomes

Political scientists have sought to determine what effect candidate position on the ballot has on electoral performance. According to Stanford University researchers Marc Meredith and Yuval Salant, 5% of candidates in the local races studied won office because of their ballot position. A separate study from Yale University and Boston University researchers found that in 71 of the 79 contests in the 1998 New York City Democratic Party primary, candidates received a greater proportion of the vote when listed first when compared with other ballot positions. Darren Grant, an economist at Sam Houston State University, stated the effect is more pronounced in lower visibility races where voters might have less information about the candidates. In a 2022 paper, Grant also found that listing candidates from the currently-prevailing political party could increase a candidate's vote share by two to three percentage points.

A group of researchers from the California Institute of Technology and Loyola University Law School, however, found that there is not "systematic evidence that candidate vote shares benefit from being listed first on the ballot" and that the ballot order effect can vary depending on the race.

Researchers have also sought to understand whether voters are less likely to vote in races for offices listed further down the ballot, with contests for local or state legislative offices listed further down the ballot often referred to as downballot races. The process by which citizens vote for some races but not others is often called roll off. A team of researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire found roll off can increase in high-profile elections that increase voter turnout.

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See also

• Ballot access for presidential candidates
• Ballot access for major and minor party candidates