Surprise Coin Toss Decides Fate of Local Election After Votes Were Stuck at a Tie as Winner Says ‘It’s Kind of Funny’

Surprise Coin Toss Decides Fate of Local Election After Votes Were Stuck at a Tie as Winner Says ‘It’s Kind of Funny’ https://ift.tt/KnybmxH

Dalton Davis and Shauna Keel both had 356 votes each before the tiebreaker toss

Dalton Davis after winning the coin toss
Credit: NBC 26

NEED TO KNOW

• A coin toss decided the winner of the final trustee position in Hortonville, Wis., after two candidates tied with 356 votes
• State law requires tied elections to be settled by a random unbiased method, so officials chose the coin toss
• Winner Dalton Davis said he voted for opponent Shauna Keel

A tied election in Wisconsin ended with a surprise coin toss.

After Dalton Davis and Shauna Keel tied with 356 votes each for the final village trustee position in Hortonville, the Village Board of Canvassers picked a winner via coin toss, according to local news outlet NBC 26.

The village board followed State Statute 5.01(4), which states if there is a tie for two candidates for office, the winner should be chosen by "lot," or a random unbiased method.

Keel needed the coin to land on heads to win, while Davis needed tails. The coin, which was flipped by a member of the board of canvassers, landed on tails.

"It’s like what you did as a kid to decide something," said Davis, the winner.

Davis admitted that he had been rooting for Keel, telling the outlet, “Yeah, I even voted for her, just cause I know she did good last term.”

"It was a little disappointing to see that she didn’t get in, but it came to a coin toss so I don’t know what else to tell you," he added.

Davis also shared with the New London Press Star that there are no hard feelings between him and Keel, as he campaigned with her.

"Me and her already reached out back and forth to each other," he explained.

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A coin toss (stock image)
Credit: getty

The first two trustee spots, which were decided via the standard election way and had no tie, went to Julie Arendt Vanden Heuvel with 422 votes and Therese Abit with 405 votes.

Davis is set to be sworn in at the next board meeting. He told the New London Press Star that he received emails congratulating him "from the administrator."

"Just an overall thank you," Davis also said to those who voted for him. "I was kind of surprised it came down to a coin flip. I didn't realize that was how you finish things, but it’s kind of funny."