The essay focuses on the newly discovered findings that the distribution of preferences votes across candidate’s guides the political parties decisions on candidate promotions and helps shape the ballot list for the next election. Preference votes have therefore an indirect effect on candidate’s future political career. The aim of the essay is to supplement the existing research on the subject by analysing how the effect differs between candidates with different backgrounds. This due to the fact that candidates with foreign background are underrepresented in Swedish political assemblies and where previous research has showed that one explanation is the existence of discrimination in the political parties. It is therefore interesting to investigate whether the political parties reward candidates with different background for their share of preference votes to the same extent. The essay searches to do so by examining the correlation between candidate’s share of preference votes in the municipal council election in 2010 and the same candidates ballot list placement in the municipal council election in 2014. The essay finds that the there is no significant difference in effect between candidates with different background. Despite this, the results provide some support that preference votes is particular important for candidates with foreign background.