“Game of chance” to decide tied Minneapolis suburb’s mayoral race
By Eric Henderson, Eric Henderson Managing Editor, Midwest Eric Henderson is Managing Editor, Midwest for CBSNews.com. He has won three Emmy Awards, an Eric Sevareid Award and two Edward R. Murrow Awards. Read Full Bio Jason Rantala
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MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (WCCO) — The race for mayor in Spring Lake Park, Minnesota, ended in a tie, with Robert Nelson and Halyn Roth each receiving 1,401 votes, according to unofficial results.
Each candidate received 49.77% of the vote, according to the Minnesota Secretary of State’s website. Another 13 votes were write-ins. All three of the city’s precincts have reported.
The City Council will canvass the results at a public meeting Monday at 5:30 p.m. in the council chambers at City Hall, the city said. If the mayoral race is still tied afterward, Minnesota law requires the winner to be decided by lot, meaning a random drawing or other game of chance.
City Administrator Daniel Buchholtz said the winner will be decided by drawing a name out of a bag.
“It’s a process that’s been outlined in state law for a long time and it’s a process that I believe is fair,” said Buchholtz.
“I don’t love it,” said Roth. “I’ve heard from a lot of people who think that this is kind of a silly rule, that we wish we could do a revote or something else.”
In 2018, a tie in a Maplewood City Council race was settled by a coin toss, but the official canvass later showed the incumbent ahead by five votes, so the toss did not stand.
The Spring Lake Park City Council race was also close. Just 17 votes separate second-place Eric Julien and third-place Kenneth Wendling, making the race eligible for a publicly funded recount, the city said.
After Monday’s meeting, eligible candidates have until 5 p.m. Nov. 16 to request a recount. If one is requested, recounts are tentatively scheduled for Nov. 17 at the Anoka County Courthouse. The time hasn’t been set.
A recount also settled Brooklyn Park’s 2021 special mayoral election, which Lisa Jacobson won by two votes.
Current mayor Robert Nelson did not respond for comment.
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