Middlesex County election officials hold random drawing to set primary ballot order; officials read party and local school-board candidate orders

An election official with the Middlesex County Board of Elections said the office held a random drawing to determine ballot order for the primary election and then read the names and slates drawn for multiple local school-board contests.

"Prior to each drawing, I'm going to announce each office being drawn, and the first drawing will determine which column the political parties will occupy on the ballot," the election official said, noting the process was conducted "based on NJSA title 19." The official described placing paper slips into capsules, mixing them in a box and drawing them one at a time while staff displayed each slip for observers.

The procedure began with a drawing for political parties that had nominated candidates in the preceding primary; the official announced the Democratic Party followed by the Republican Party. The official then read the order for independent gubernatorial candidates, announcing the Libertarian Party followed by the Socialist Workers Party.

After the party and independent-candidate drawings, the official conducted drawings for school-board offices across multiple municipalities in Middlesex County. The official read candidate names and organized-slate names for Cranberry, East Brunswick, Edison, Highland Park, Jamesburg, Milltown, Monroe, North Brunswick, Old Bridge, Piscataway, Plainsboro, Sayreville, South Amboy, South Brunswick, South Plainfield and South River, among others. Examples the official read aloud included the slates or labels "Fix the District," "Students First," "Quality Public Schools," "Achievement Community Equity," and "Putting Kids First," as well as many individual candidate names.

The election official described the drawing mechanics in detail: staff placed slips in capsules, added the official's own slip, shuffled the capsules thoroughly, then removed and read them one by one to establish first, second and subsequent positions. "The first drawn name shall be first, the second drawn second, etcetera," the official said.

The public portion of the drawing concluded with the official reading back the full sequence for parties, the governor independent-candidate order, and the candidate orders for each school-board race, then closing the session.

The official provided a contact phone number and email for questions: (732) 745-4202 and middlesexvotes@co.middlesex.nj.us.

The drawing determines how political parties and individual candidates will appear on the primary ballot; it does not itself change nominations or candidacies.