Who wins when voters know nothing about the candidates?

They share a name with a famous person, their face is in every elevator in the state, they’re female or African American.

Those are some of the aspects of how voters choose names of down-ballot candidates in races they know little about.

But it is more complex than that, experts say.

Andy Taylor, a political science professor at N.C. State University, said when people come out to vote they typically have followed, at least a little, the presidential candidates. He said the lower you go on the ballot, the less information people tend to have.

In Tuesday’s primary, voters are asked to choose from about a dozen races on their ballots this election.

“We’re asking a lot of people,” said Chris Cooper, a political science professor at Western Carolina University.

And a February poll from Public Policy Polling shows just how undecided voters are in down-ballot contests, some of which have up to nine candidates.

More than 50% of people polled said they were undecided about who they would vote for in the Democratic Senate primary.

For lieutenant governor, that number was up to 75%, and 80% of those polled didn’t know who they’d pick for state treasurer.

Ballot order

What do voters do if they haven’t picked a candidate before filling out a ballot?

“When people have limited information they look for other cues,” Cooper said. “In the absence of party cues you look for any other cue to vote for.”

One obvious cue is the ballot position, according to David McLennan, a political science professor at Meredith College.

“Research says it’s best to have your name at the top of the ballot,” Taylor said.

McLennan added that being first can affect your chances of winning by as much as 5%.

In North Carolina, ballot order is determined by drawing a letter at random, so this year, candidates with last names beginning in “O” will appear first.

Gender

Being a woman can also strengthen your chances of winning — sometimes.

“Some evidence shows that women tend to do better in low-information elections,” Cooper said.

McLennan said studies have found that advantage can be as much as 2%.

“In some races there is an idea, for example in school board or District Court races, that women are more fair,” McLennan said. “In high intensity races, like governor, they tend to not use that determination but go by party affiliations.”

Name recognition

Name recognition also plays a factor. Taylor said a recent study showed Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry does well in elections because her name is in every elevator.

He added that running campaign promotions like “Run Forest Run” in Dan Forest’s campaign, a play on “Forrest Gump,” could have helped his elections.

And some believe that former N.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Martin won his elections, in part, because he shares a name with a NASCAR driver.

The Wilson Times recently wrote an article explaining to its readers that the Allen Thomas running for lieutenant governor is not a prominent local attorney with the same name.

In Texas, a candidate named Dimple won and when asked why, McLennan said, voters said they thought it was a cool name.

That bodes well for Charlotte Councilwoman Dimple Ajmera, who is running for treasurer.

And Cooper read about a race involving Alvin Greene in South Carolina.

If you believe the speculation, Cooper said, Greene’s win was a prime example of how race can be a deciding factor.

Greene was never considered to be a contender in the election, but he walked away the winner.

When people studied why, it came down to the spelling of his name.

Greene, with an E, tends to imply African-American heritage.

But names don’t work for everyone. Studies have shown, especially in small towns, that a name that’s unfamiliar or doesn’t sound like a local can cost a person a vote, McLennan said.

He added that the same goes for foreign-sounding names, particularly in areas with high race animosity.

Then a name can prejudice a person against voting for someone.

“For instance, a Hispanic name in an area with animosity toward immigrants can cost a candidate with low information voters,” McLennan said.

And names will continue to play a factor even in the general election.

“The interesting thing is that one-third of all voters that don’t have knowledge about a race switch parties and vote for the other party,” McLennan said. “So if they’re voting for Republican candidates when they get down to a race like county commissioner they cross over and vote for the Democrat.”

For more North Carolina government and politics news, listen to the Domecast politics podcast from The News & Observer and the NC Insider. You can find it on Megaphone, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Stitcher or wherever you get your podcasts.

This story was originally published March 2, 2020 at 3:53 PM with the headline "Who wins when voters know nothing about the candidates?."