Coppoletta, Thomaides draw top ballot spots

Posted on September 3, 2009 at 5:05 pm • Print • Share

San Marcos City Clerk Sherry Mashburn, left, and Daley Heller of the clerk’s office draw ballot places for the Novemeber city council election. Photo by Andy Sevilla.

By ANDY SEVILLA
Associate Editor

City Council hopeful Lisa Marie Coppoletta and incumbent John Thomaides appear to hold the favored positions on the November San Marcos city council ballot after a placement drawing conducted by City Clerk Sherry Mashburn.

Thomaides drew the top spot on the ballot for his Place 6 position, while Coppoletta drew the top spot for Place 5.

Some electoral experts suggest that the higher position on the ballot has at least a subtle psychological influence on voters, especially when they’re unfamiliar with the names in a race. However, that is unlikely to factor into this November’s election, which will include only the San Marcos council race and state constitutional amendments. Thus, a reduced turnout of voters is likely to know who they will select long before encountering a ballot.

Pieces of paper with the candidates’ names were mixed in a bowl and pulled out one-by-one by Daley Heller of the city clerk’s office. The order in which the names were pulled out of the bowl is the order in which they will appear on the ballot.

“Oh wow,” Mashburn said as she read aloud the order for Place 5. “They’re in alphabetical order.”

Coppoletta took the coveted number one position on the ballot for Place 5, followed by, in order, Shaune Maycock, John Nesselhauf, and Ryan Thomason.

Place 6 did not go in alphabetical order, with Thomaides to be followed by Anita Fuller, and Monica Garcia.

All candidates were present except Coppoletta, who missed the presentation due to illness.