Why is Kamala Harris’ name first on the ballot in NC? How candidate order is determined

The first name North Carolina voters will see on their ballot this year is Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democrat running for the office of President of the United States.

So, how did her name end up being first on the ballot ahead of competitors like Republican former President Donald Trump?

It wasn’t malfeasance, election rigging or voter manipulation, as some conspiracy theorists have suggested on social media. Rather, it was random chance.

North Carolina law requires the State Board of Elections to randomly assign ballot order by the last name of the candidates. Board staff conducted this assignment using a two-step process on Dec. 15, 2023 — nearly three months before the primary election.

First, staff selected a ball from a bingo machine that had one ball corresponding to every letter in the alphabet. The letter selected was “D,” meaning that candidates whose last name began with “D” would be placed first on the ballot.

Second, staff flipped a coin to determine whether the remaining candidates would appear in alphabetical order or reverse alphabetical order. The coin landed on “heads,” meaning the rest of the candidates would appear in regular alphabetical order.

This entire process was streamed live .

Since the randomization occurred before the primary election, board staff could not have even known which candidates would be placed on the ballot in the first place — much less their specific ballot order.

Under the random order that was selected, President Joe Biden actually would have appeared last on the ballot if he had remained the Democratic nominee.

But, because Harris’ name comes first in alphabetical order when starting with “D,” she will appear first on the ballot in 2024. Trump will appear second-to-last on the ballot since several third-party candidates come before him, alphabetically.

In 2016 and 2020, Donald Trump was first on the state’s ballot after board staff conducted similar randomization processes.

NC Reality Check is an N&O series holding those in power accountable and shining a light on public issues that affect the Triangle or North Carolina. Have a suggestion for a future story? Email realitycheck@newsobserver.com