The key facts

  • The candidates received exactly 91 votes each in Kentucky's least populous county
  • The winner was decided by a coin toss rather than a ballot recount
  • Renner called heads, but tails came up — Freiman won

Tied election decided by a coin toss

In the US state of Kentucky, a magistrate judge seat was decided by a coin toss after both candidates received an equal number of votes. Gazeta.Ru reports this, citing the local outlet WEKU.

How it all happened

The incident took place in Robertson County — the least populous county in Kentucky. Republican Benny Ray Renner and Democrat Kristen Freiman competed for the magistrate judge position. When the ballot count was completed, it turned out that each had received exactly 91 votes.

Reaction of those involved

Freiman said that at first she did not believe the results: she had expected a close contest, but not a tie. According to her, nothing like this had ever happened in the county before. Instead of a recount, the parties decided to flip a coin. Renner, as the candidate whose name appeared first on the ballot, was offered the choice of a side: he bet on heads, but tails came up — Freiman became the winner. After the draw, both candidates laughed at the situation, and the new officeholder kept the lucky coin as a memento.

Election context

Separately, Gazeta.Ru reported that Republicans won Senate elections in two states; that news concerns a different vote and is unrelated to the coin toss in Robertson County.