LUCK OF THE DRAW

Tied Michigan City Council Election Settled by a Paper Drawing

The two candidates tied at 616 votes each. With a paper drawing Monday, a winner was finally decided.

Contentious media cycles and claims of fraud may cloud much of the modern American political scape, but in one small Michigan town, a tied election was decided over a simple luck of the draw. With 616 votes each, Timeen Adair and Brittany VanderWall tied in a the Nov. 8 election to fill a seat on the city council of Rogers City. As a tiebreaker, the two drew from a bowl Monday. The one who snagged the paper with “elected” written on it was, well, elected. Adair was the lucky winner, ending the town’s dead-heat race. “The people have spoken, and they said, ‘Eh, either one,’” Adair joked. The two shared a hug after finding out the result, both sharing confidence in the electoral process. “Congrats,” VanderWall said. “Do good work. I’ll see you in two years.”