This study analyzes the proposition that drawing lots for ballot position is fair and guarantees equal opportunity for all candidates involved. The object of the study is the 2010 Education Committee Election, in Korea. The ballot position effect was ...
This study analyzes the proposition that drawing lots for ballot position is fair and guarantees equal opportunity for all candidates involved. The object of the study is the 2010 Education Committee Election, in Korea. The ballot position effect was first identified in the nonpartisan elections of the United States. In these elections, voters with little knowledge of the candidates’ policies tended to select the first position candidate. The ballot position effect has also been found in elections held in Australia, Spain, and England.
The methods of analysis used were an F-test of the candidates’ vote share and a chi-square(X2) test of the candidates’ winning ratio. The results of these tests show that, other things being equal, the first position candidate on the ballot received more votes than the others. Ordinary Least Square(OLS) regression for candidates’ vote share also confirms this tendency. And, corresponding with the theory, as the number of candidates competing in the district increases, ballot position effect becomes larger. Based on these findings, this study concludes that the proposition of the Election Law was unfair to the candidates participating in the Education Committee Election. The Law’s No. 150 procedure orders that the position of the ballot is decided by lots and proposes that all positions of the ballot are equal in the election probability. The procedure must be revised into neutral method such as a rotation ballot paper.