Here is the Connecticut sample ballot for the November 4, 2014 election. Connecticut, like Delaware, New York, and most counties in New Jersey, no longer uses mechanical voting machines. But those four states continue to design general election ballots as though the mechanical voting machines were still in use. This ballot is unfair to the independent gubernatorial candidate, Joe Visconti, because the column of candidates for Governor lists the two major party candidates, followed by a blank space, and then Visconti is in the row below the blank space. There are probably many voters who will not even notice Visconti’s name.
We have a similar problem in West Virginia where ballot order is based on the presidential candidate performance from the previous election. Independent Ed Rabel is listed after a “no candidates filed – Mountain Party” blank space even though the Mountain Party has endorsed him, and I am listed after Libertarian and Mountain Party “no candidates filed” spaces: http://www.sos.wv.gov/elections/voterinformation/2014Election/generalsampleballots/Documents/SAMPLE%20BALLOTS%202014%20GENERAL/BERKELEY%20WV%20GENERAL%20110414%20-%20Ballot%20Style%2010%20English.pdf
Not to be a dick, but perhaps Mr. Rabel should have run with the Mountain Party then?