Does Placement on Ballots Matter?

It's been said that appearance is everything, but is that true when it comes to the order in which political parties are listed on election ballots?

Connecticut Republicans appear to think so. This week GOP leaders asked the Secretary of State to reverse a 2011 decision in which the office determined that Democrats would take top billing on the ballot.

They argued that decision was made in error, due to the fact that Governor Dannel P. Malloy was listed under two political parties on the 2010 ballot, but .

The order in which party candidates appear on the election ballot is determined by which party candidate gets the most votes in a gubernatorial election. Republicans have historically enjoyed being atop the ballot, but their run came to an end when Malloy was elected in 2010.

In a letter outlining the reasons for her decision, Merrill writes, "You correctly identify the candidates for Governor; however, you do not differentiate between the appearance of a candidate on the ballot by 'party' nomination and by nominating petition with a 'party designation'. Taking this crucial difference into account results in the conclusion reached by my offìce in 2011; the Democratic Party is listed on the first row on the ballot followed by the Republican Party listed on the second row."