Feldkamp Gets Top Spot on Sheriff's Ballot

Some political experts believe getting the top spot on the ballot in an election is worth some votes. If that's the case, Darren Feldkamp is a happy man.

A lottery was held Tuesday morning to determine ballot position in the Republican Primary for Effingham County Sheriff.  All four candidates were present when the filing period began, necessitating the lottery to determine ballot position.

County Clerk Kerry Hirtzel, as Chief Election Authority, holds the lottery.  The four hopefuls gathered at Hirtzel's office for the drawing.  Four slips, each with a different number one through four, were put in a bowl that Hirtzel used from the kitchen at the County Office Building and the candidates drew a slip out one at a time.

Surprisingly, the ballot positions came out alphabetically.  Feldkamp drew the "1", John Gardner drew the "2", Dave Mahon the "3" and Mike Schutzbach the "4", and that's the order in which their names will appear on the March primary ballot.