The November 9 edition of Ballot Box has this interesting analysis of the Virginia elections of 2009 and 2005 and how the eventual outcome depended partly on a random drawing. The random drawing is held in Virginia to determine which political parties are listed first on general election ballots. The November 9 article is by Josh Goodman. The November 9 essay depends on an earlier analysis by political scientist Larry Sabato, written on August 13, 2009. A link to the earlier Sabato article is within the Goodman piece. Thanks to Peter Gemma for the link.