Draw lots, win election

Before the presidential election at the beginning of this month, The Pitt News pointed out… Before the presidential election at the beginning of this month, The Pitt News pointed out that the process of voting is determined not by a constitutional right, but by a law.

Chris W. Bonneau, a political science professor at Pittsburgh, explained at the time that “electors in each state can do what they want; there isn’t anything binding them.” Bonneau added that state legislatures could constitutionally decide elections by a coin toss.

He said it would be “inconceivable” that such an event would take place, because it would be “politically impossible.”

But in the small town of Groveland, Fla., such an event did take place.

G. P. Sloan, 77, and Richard Flynn, 75, contested a city council seat in the Nov. 2, 2004, election. After each received 689 votes, and no winner emerged after two recounts, the candidates and supporters gathered in the town’s community center for a coin flip to decide the result.

City Manager Jason Yarborough flipped a bicentennial dollar coin, and Flynn called “heads.” Yarborough caught it, flipped it onto the back of his hand, said, “Tails it is,” and handed victory to Sloan.

Florida law decrees that candidates “draw lots” to decide the winner of a tied election. County election supervisors can determine the method of drawing lots, and in the past, Groveland’s Lake County has employed the coin toss.

Sloan and Flynn said they thought the method was fair.

“Drawing lots” is also the legal method of deciding a tied election in Nevada.

After Ray Urrizaga and Bob Swetich each received 1,847 votes for a four-year term on the county commission in White Pine County, the two men decided the result in the traditional way for the town of Ely, 250 miles north of Las Vegas: They drew the highest card.

Urrizaga said, “Let the good Lord decide,” and picked first, turning over the queen of clubs. Swetich flipped up the seven of diamonds, and the election was decided.