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Drawing lots, flipping coins is boring. Five other ways Pierce County could settle an election tiebreaker

By The News Tribune Editorial Board
And the winner is! ... After spinning a raffle drum, Pierce County Councilman Dan Roach reads aloud the name of a new precinct committee officer during a lot drawing at the Election Center in Tacoma. The 2012 contest was tied between two candidates after a mandatory hand recount, and was settled in a manner more familiar to a bingo hall. Could it happen again this year? Only 7 votes separate candidates for Sumner City Council Pos. 7, while 76 votes separate candidates for Bethel School District Pos. 2.
And the winner is! ... After spinning a raffle drum, Pierce County Councilman Dan Roach reads aloud the name of a new precinct committee officer during a lot drawing at the Election Center in Tacoma. The 2012 contest was tied between two candidates after a mandatory hand recount, and was settled in a manner more familiar to a bingo hall. Could it happen again this year? Only 7 votes separate candidates for Sumner City Council Pos. 7, while 76 votes separate candidates for Bethel School District Pos. 2. Janet Jensen News Tribune file photo, 2012

Five fun ways to break a tie for a pair of unresolved November election nailbiters – if needed after next Tuesday’s mandatory machine recount of Pierce County ballots.



1. One hand of five-card draw, winner takes all. Jokers and deuces wild.

2. Rock, paper, scissors. Best 2 out of 3. Any use of non-sanctioned throws, such as dynamite or bomb, results in automatic disqualification.

3. Use the wishbone left over from Pierce County Auditor Julie Anderson’s Thanksgiving turkey carcass.

4. Penalty kicks – the same way the Seattle Sounders broke a tie and won their first Major League Soccer championship three years ago.

5. A dance off. (“I challenge you to a dance off. Hands off, no trash talk, no back walk.” – Seattle hip-hop duo Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.)

This story was originally published November 30, 2019 at 8:00 AM with the headline "Drawing lots, flipping coins is boring. Five other ways Pierce County could settle an election tiebreaker."

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