Sheri Gallo, District 10 City Council candidate[/caption]

Alison Alter, District 10 City Council candidate[/caption]

Alison Alter will be the first name on the ballot when she faces incumbent Sheri Gallo in the Dec. 13 District 10 City Council runoff election.

Alter was chosen in an official random drawing of names in the City Council’s chambers Wednesday morning.

A runoff election is mandated when no candidate in a race receives 50 percent or more of the popular vote. The top two vote-getters in the race are then entered into a runoff election at a later date.

Alter received 36 percent of the vote, and Gallo received 48 percent.

Alter said that according to research she has seen on the topic, being first on the ballot in a runoff election does come with an advantage. Gallo, however, did not think ballot position mattered.

“It’s critical during the general election to be in the first ballot position, but in a runoff, I don’t think it’s important,” Gallo said.

Gallo said that coming into the race, she knew the chances for a runoff election were high because there were four candidates on the ballot. Gallo, who was two points shy of winning outright, called the voter support “overwhelming.”

Both candidates said the campaign strategy for a runoff election is much different than that of a general election. The next few weeks will be about connecting with the voters and instilling in them the importance of voting on Dec. 13, Alter said.

“It’s about the voters who are most motivated,” Alter said.