Many races are decided by thousands, even tens or hundreds of thousands, of votes. But others are much closer. What happens, you may have wondered, if there’s a tie?
First, there’s a recount – just to make sure the vote totals are correct. Second, candidates are notified of the date and time on which the winner will be determined. Finally, the winner is determined by “lot,” which basically means by a random method determined by the election authority. Typically, a coin toss is used, but theoretically any method could be employed, so long as
it’s random. Rock, paper, scissors anyone?
While this is incredibly rare for most offices, when Precinct Committee Officers (PCOs) are on the ballot, it’s actually fairly common because the vote tallies are so low. This year there are 160 PCO races in King County. Happy coin flipping everyone!
Election Connection 