Urbana City Clerk will Hold Ballot Lottery

Urbana's city clerk has reversed course and will hold a lottery this coming Wednesday to determine which party is first on the ballot in next month's municipal election.

Republican mayoral candidate Rex Bradfield and Green candidate Durl Kruse filed suit Thursday to demand the ballot lottery, which they say is required by state law. Clark had used the order in which candidates filed petitions to set the ballot, which put her own party, the Democrats, first in line.

In a statement issued late yesterday (Friday), Clark said had been reluctant to hold a ballot lottery so soon before the election, out of concern "for those people who have already voted during the early voting process because I did not want those voters disenfranchised". But Clark said Champaign County Clerk Mark Shelden has now stated in writing that a new ballot would not endanger early votes already cast. She's scheduled the ballot lottery for Wednesday morning at 10, at the Urbana City Council chamber.

Green Party mayoral candidate Durl Kruse says he's glad that Clark has decided to hold a ballot lottery, but says he's baffled by the delay. He says Shelden had given assurances early on that early voting ballots would still be counted if a ballot lottery required new ballots.

Republican mayoral candidate Rex Bradfield says he's "thrilled" that Clark is holding the ballot lottery in accordance with state law. But he called it "sad" that the decision was not made until after he and Kruse filed their lawsuit.

Bradfield and Kruse says the ballot lottery is important, because the order in which candidates are listed can have an impact on vote totals.