Incumbent B.C. mayor wins election decided by pulling a name out of a box

PEACHLAND, B.C. – The winner of the mayor’s race in Peachland, B.C., has been decided by a pulling a name from a box because the top two candidates remained tied after a judicial recount on Monday.

Provincial court Judge Ellen Burdett oversaw the manual count of the vote, which was tied at 804 votes each for incumbent Cindy Fortin and challenger Harry Gough.

In keeping with Peachland’s election procedures, Burdett drew a name out of the box and declared that Fortin was selected for a four-year term.

The race in the small community drew attention because of how the tie was settled in a process similar to drawing a name from a hat.

It’s not the first time a political race was decided by chance.

In 2015, Liberal Alan McIsaac won a seat in the P.E.I. legislature after a tie was broken by a coin toss