Who decides which Wichita mayoral candidate’s name appears first on ballots? We found out

Wichita residents casting a vote in Tuesday’s mayoral primary are just as likely to see Julie Rose Stroud or Tom Kane at the top of their ballot as they are Brandon Whipple or Lily Wu.

That’s thanks to a Kansas election law requiring each candidate’s name to appear first on the list of office-seekers on an equal number of ballots. The same rule applies for the Wichita school board race and in the Wichita City Council District primary.

The ballot rotating practice is based on the assumption that voters are more likely to vote for the first name listed than for candidates that appear further down the list.

All Sedgwick County voters in a single precinct will have candidate names appear in the same order, but someone voting a mile away in a different polling station will likely have a different ballot configuration.

Candidates are listed in alphabetical order by last name, starting with whichever candidate is first at a given precinct. For instance, if Celeste Racette appears at the top of a mayoral ballot, she will be followed by Stroud, Whipple, Wu, Jared Cerullo, Shelia Davis, Bryan Frye, Anthony Gallardo and Kane.

Election Commissioner Laura Rainwater said one mayoral candidate who voted early complained to her that their name appeared last on their own ballot.

This story was originally published July 31, 2023 at 2:49 PM.