Philadelphia Uses Old Coffee Can to Pick Ballot Order for Elections

Editor's Note (March 22, 2023, 12:54 p.m.): With John Wood dropping out of the race, Cherelle Parker will appear first on the Democratic May primary ballot as each candidate moves up one spot, the City Commissioner's Office said.

What order do the candidates running for Philadelphia mayor and other city races appear on the ballot?

The answer is in an old coffee can.

It may look like a game, but that line of colorful numbered balls and an old Horn & Hardart coffee can on a table in Philadelphia City Hall was serious business for candidates Wednesday.

This Philly thing happening today - candidates pulling ballot positions from the old Horn & Hardart coffee can pic.twitter.com/tjsMglaGET

In a packed room of candidates and campaigns -- and even some kids -- got in on the act of a Philadelphia tradition that determines who gets the top spots -- and all the other positions -- on May's primary ballot.

They await for someone to load the coffee can -- no one really knows how old it is -- with the balls, give it shake and then allow each candidate (or proxy) to reach inside to pull a number.

It's a small-town-type of tradition that puts the ordering in the public eye.

The Democratic field for mayor has 12 candidates vying to take on likely Republican nominee David Oh (who is running unopposed in the primary) in the November general election. Witnesses could be heard cheering or groaning the pulling of high or low numbers.

Little-known Democrat John Wood pulled the No. 1 spot on the ballot, while former Philadelphia City Councilperson Helen Gym will appear 12th on the ballot.

Here's the full ballot order for the Democratic mayoral race:

Democratic Philadelphia Councilmember Curtis Jones has been through the process five times -- he's pulled No. 1 along the way. He said voters will find candidates who put in the work, but that doesn't mean where your name appears doesn't matter in packed fields.

"If you’re running at-large and there's 30 candidates in there, and you’re not in the first 10, that matters," he said.

Basically he says that in the more packed field, people become tired of searching for candidates as they go down the ballot.

One way or another, all the names will be on the ballot for the May 16, 2023, primary election.

Legislation being circulated in Harrisburg would change Philadelphia's tradition – and avoid any candidate appearing in the first – or the last – spot on every ballot.

The bill sponsored by Philadelphia Democrat Chris Rabb would require randomization of each precinct's list of candidates.

"It is imperative that we take the initiative to infuse fairness into our election process, so that candidates are running on a level playing field," Rabb said in a memo about the legislation, which has been proposed before.

Randomizing the process for each precinct list would "ensure that no candidate has the unfair advantage of topping every ballot," the memo said.