For School Board Candidates, Is It Better To Be a 10 or a Magic Number?

When you’re a candidate for the Board of Education, it’s the luck of the draw that dictates where your name will be placed on the ballot that voters see on election day. Names are picked in a lottery-type system, and the first name picked is first on the ballot, and so on. In this year’s Jefferson Township elections, with 11 candidates on the ballot, placement is crucial. Where a candidate’s name falls dictates how far down the list a voter will have to read to find it. But the candidates appear to be taking it all in stride.

“It is what it is, a list selected at random,” said Frank Cuccio, whose name is in the third position.

As for how his position might affect his campaign, Cuccio recalled the Schoolhouse Rocks math video collection: “Three is a magic number,” he said.

Stacey Poulas, number eight on the ballot, has posted signs throughout town with her number next to her name, reminding voters where to find her.

“My hope is that every voter is informed about the candidates and the position on the ballot, which was a random drawing, is not a factor in how people vote,” Poulas said.

Number nine Stacie Corrao felt similarly.

“To be honest, I was not really concerned by it,” Corrao said. “I was going to campaign hard to get my name out no matter where I landed on the list. My overall goal is to effect change in our schools no matter what side of the table I am on.”

Kerri J. Batche, number five on the list, was initially disappointed that her middle initial was incorrectly noted as “V” on the ballot. This has since been changed.

“I don’t think position affects anything—people either know who they are voting for or they don’t know,” she said. “If they do, they will hunt for the name. If they don’t know, they probably won’t be voting anyway.”

At number seven, Richard Alheidt is happy.

“I think my position is fine because I am right in the middle so people should have at least one more vote by the time they hit my name,” he said.

Candidate Melissa Heyboer-Senatore has arguably the most pragmatic way of thinking on this issue. Falling second to last of the 11 candidates, she said, “every girl likes to be a 10.”

The full ballot order is:

1. H. Ronald Smith
2. Kristine Blaha
3. Frank J. Cuccio
4. Mark Krisinski
5. Kerri J. Batche
6. James Hine
7. Richard J. Alheidt
8. Stacey Poulas
9. Stacie Corrao
10. Melissa Heyboer-Senatore
11. Paul J. Hartle

Patch did not receive comment from Smith, Blaha, Krisinski, Hine or Hartle for this story.