Candidate for governor suing Va. Dept. of Elections to randomize names on ballot

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - A candidate for governor is suing the Virginia Department of Elections to get it to randomize candidates’ names on this year’s Democratic primary ballots.

Delegate Lee Carter says Virginia law already requires the randomization of candidate names on ballots for presidential primaries, so it is unclear why parties don’t do it for other elections.

Carter says his lawsuit grew in importance because the law organizes names based on when a candidate drops off their signatures required to run. However, he says the current electronic system put in place is not working.

“There’s no official way to turn in the signatures that I’ve collected because the candidate bulletin says that I’m required to turn them in through a system that can’t accept them,” he said.

Carter says some candidates were told about an in-person place to submit their signatures while others were not. He says he will submit them in person by March 25 deadline if the online system is still broken.