Jonathan G. S. Koppell
Political scientist and first author of a 2004 study showing that candidates listed first on the ballot won a larger share of the vote.
Who they are
Koppell is listed by Montclair State University's repository as a Montclair State author of the 2004 Journal of Politics study he wrote with Jennifer A. Steen. They used the 1998 Democratic primaries in New York City, where candidates' names were rotated between precincts, which turns each contest into a natural experiment.
In 71 of 79 contests, candidates won a larger share of the vote when listed first than in any other position. In seven of those contests the advantage of being listed first was larger than the winner's margin. The study is among the cleanest evidence that the first option in a list gains from its position alone.
Key papers
Koppell, J. G. S., & Steen, J. A. (2004). "The effects of ballot position on election outcomes." The Journal of Politics, 66(1), 267-281. doi:10.1046/j.1468-2508.2004.00151.x.
Key ideas
See Ballot Order Effect and The Primacy Effect.
Sources
- Koppell and Steen (2004), abstract read (Montclair State University repository) and JSTOR Daily summary, 12 October 2026.