diff --git a/doc/source/_exts/candidates.py b/doc/source/_exts/candidates.py
index 5dae851a..a07db1e1 100644
--- a/doc/source/_exts/candidates.py
+++ b/doc/source/_exts/candidates.py
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import jinja2.environment
 from sphinx.util import logging
 from sphinx.util.nodes import nested_parse_with_titles
 
+from openstack_election import series_sorting
 from openstack_election import utils
 
 LOG = logging.getLogger(__name__)
@@ -110,7 +111,9 @@ def build_lists(app):
         ""
     ]
     archived_dir = os.path.join(".", "doc", "source", "results")
-    for previous in sorted(os.listdir(archived_dir), reverse=True):
+    dirs = sorted(os.listdir(archived_dir), key=series_sorting.keyfunc,
+                  reverse=True)
+    for previous in dirs:
         if build_archive(previous, "ptl"):
             previous_toc.append("    results/%s/ptl.rst" % previous)
         if build_archive(previous, "tc"):
diff --git a/openstack_election/series_sorting.py b/openstack_election/series_sorting.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..444cf4dc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/openstack_election/series_sorting.py
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may
+# not use this file except in compliance with the License. You may obtain
+# a copy of the License at
+#
+#      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT
+# WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the
+# License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations
+# under the License.
+_series_data = [
+    ["austin", "bexar", "cactus", "diablo", "essex", "folsom", "grizzly",
+     "havana", "icehouse", "juno", "kilo", "liberty", "mitaka", "newton",
+     "ocata", "pike", "queens", "rocky", "stein", "train", "ussuri",
+     "victoria", "wallaby", "xena", "yoga", "zed"],
+    # ["antelope", bobcat, etc etc etc],`
+]
+
+
+def keyfunc(series_name):
+    assert series_name.isascii()
+
+    # NOTE(tonyb): Create a private copy to avoid mutating input variable
+    _series_name = series_name.lower()
+    # This for/else statement looks for a series_name in series_data.  If it
+    # is found stop looking (via break), because we have all the information
+    # we need.  If the series name isn't found, i.e a run through the entire
+    # series_data list-of-lists, the 'else' clause will be executed to do our
+    # best to deduce the sort key from there.
+    for series_nr, series_names in enumerate(_series_data):
+        if _series_name in series_names:
+            series_idx = series_names.index(_series_name)
+            break
+    else:
+        if _series_name[0].isalpha():
+            series_nr += 1
+            series_idx = ord(_series_name[0]) - ord("a")
+        elif _series_name[0].isdigit():
+            (year, release) = map(int, _series_name.split("."))
+            # This arithmetic comes from the fact that we started using
+            # year.release naming scheme, after we completed a full list
+            # of the alphabet.
+            # This happened with the 2023.1 release.  To date it's two
+            # releases per year.  If that changes this code will need to
+            # be updated.
+            # Releases "austin" -> "zed" are 0 -> 25 so 2023.1 is the 26th
+            # OpenStack release
+            (series_nr, series_idx) = \
+                divmod(26 + ((year - 2023) * 2 + (release - 1)), 26)
+        else:
+            assert False
+    # TODO(tonyb): Do we want to switch this to aa_austin, ba_2023.1 to force
+    # a stable sort order
+    return series_nr * 26 + series_idx
diff --git a/openstack_election/tests/test_sorting.py b/openstack_election/tests/test_sorting.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..82b00484
--- /dev/null
+++ b/openstack_election/tests/test_sorting.py
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may
+# not use this file except in compliance with the License. You may obtain
+# a copy of the License at
+#
+#      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT
+# WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the
+# License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations
+# under the License.
+from unittest import mock
+
+from openstack_election import series_sorting
+from openstack_election.tests import base
+
+
+class TestSeries_Sorting(base.ElectionTestCase):
+    FAKE_SERIES_DATA = [
+        series_sorting._series_data[0],
+        ["antelope", "bobcat", "camel", "duck", "elephant", "fox", "gorilla",
+         "hamster", "ibex", "jellyfish", "kudu", "lion", "meerkat", "narwhal",
+         "otter", "pony", "quail", "raccoon", "salmon", "termite", "uakari",
+         "viperfish", "whale", "xerus", "yak", "zebra"]
+    ]
+
+    def test_assert_nonascii(self):
+        self.assertRaises(AssertionError, series_sorting.keyfunc, "ハロー")
+
+    def test_assert_nonaplphanumeric(self):
+        self.assertRaises(AssertionError, series_sorting.keyfunc, "__austin")
+
+    def test_simple(self):
+        test_series_list = ["antelope", "victoria", "2023.1", "zed",
+                            "c-release-not-cactus"]
+        sorted_series_list = ["victoria", "zed", "antelope", "2023.1",
+                              "c-release-not-cactus"]
+        self.assertEqual(sorted(test_series_list, key=series_sorting.keyfunc),
+                         sorted_series_list)
+
+    def test_simple_with_case(self):
+        test_series_list = ["Antelope", "victoria", "2023.1", "zed",
+                            "C-release-not-cactus"]
+        sorted_series_list = ["victoria", "zed", "Antelope", "2023.1",
+                              "C-release-not-cactus"]
+        self.assertEqual(sorted(test_series_list, key=series_sorting.keyfunc),
+                         sorted_series_list)
+
+    @mock.patch.object(series_sorting, "_series_data", FAKE_SERIES_DATA)
+    def test_with_series_2(self):
+        test_series_list = ["antelope", "austin", "aardvark"]
+        sorted_series_list = ["austin", "antelope", "aardvark"]
+        self.assertEqual(sorted(test_series_list, key=series_sorting.keyfunc),
+                         sorted_series_list)
+
+    @mock.patch.object(series_sorting, "_series_data", FAKE_SERIES_DATA)
+    def test_with_series_2_rollover(self):
+        test_series_list = ["antelope", "austin", "zebra", "yak", "aardvark"]
+        sorted_series_list = ["austin", "antelope", "yak", "zebra", "aardvark"]
+        self.assertEqual(sorted(test_series_list, key=series_sorting.keyfunc),
+                         sorted_series_list)
+
+    @mock.patch.object(series_sorting, "_series_data", FAKE_SERIES_DATA)
+    def test_with_series_2_mixed_styles(self):
+        test_series_list = ["elephant", "2023.1", "duck", "2024.2",
+                            "aardvark", "2024.1"]
+        sorted_series_list = ["2023.1", "2024.1", "duck", "2024.2",
+                              "elephant", "aardvark"]
+        self.assertEqual(sorted(test_series_list, key=series_sorting.keyfunc),
+                         sorted_series_list)