Has an Election Ever Been Decided by a Coin Toss?Yes. In 2023, a North Carolina mayoral election ended in a 970–970 tie. A coin flip picked the winner. Democracy occasionally comes down to pocket change.Related Rabbit HolesHas an Election Ever Ended in a Tie?Has a Dead Person Ever Won an Election?Why Do Americans Vote on Tuesdays?Read FurtherRobert Burns and Bob Yanacsek each received exactly 970 votes in the race for mayor of Monroe, North Carolina. After the count, the candidates waived a recount and election officials used a coin flip to break the tie.Yanacsek called heads. The coin landed tails. Burns became mayor.It sounds like something you would do to decide who buys lunch, but some election laws permit a random drawing, known as deciding “by lot,” when the vote is tied. The exact method depends on the state and the office.All that campaigning, all those signs, all those speeches. And the final decision went to a small piece of metal with excellent timing.Further ReadingAssociated Press via Spectrum News: Coin flip decides Monroe mayorOhio Secretary of State: Tied races
