Why is Marianne Williamson's name first on the Virginia Democratic ballot?

[phylny]

6. It looks like the names were drawn. Thanks for the help, I used the wrong search terms.

Here's one of the reasons I was asking:

https://vadogwood.com/2021/04/01/state-board-of-elections-selects-ballot-order-certifies-election/

The Ballot Order Effect

The positioning of names on a ballot might sound like an insignificant detail, but studies show elections can be won or lost based on the location of a candidates name. This phenomenon is called the “ballot order effect.”

In 1975, the American Journal of Political Science published a report called “The Effect of Ballot Position on Electoral Success.”

The findings, which originated from a controlled experimental study, assessed the impact of name identification, the length of the ballot and the number of candidates on election results.

The study found that those listed first enjoyed a favorable advantage. Interestingly, the number of candidates on the ballot did not appear to impact that finding. However, a low slot on the ballot could be overcome with name recognition, the study found.