Kentucky City's Mayor Picked by Winning Coin Toss After Election Ends in Tie
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A mayor in Kentucky was officially elected after winning a coin toss due to the initial ballot results ending in a tie.
Incumbent Greg McElfresh and Mason Taylor each scored 55 votes in the City of Butler's mayoral race on Tuesday, with a third candidate, Joshua McGriffin, garnering 15 votes, ABC News reported.
According to Kentucky law, tied elections must be decided by "lots," meaning the winner will be selected at random, per ABC News.
After the ballots were counted, the Pendleton County officials called the Pendleton County Sheriff to help flip the coin as an alternative to determining the next elected leader for the city of more than 600 residents.
The sheriff officials assigned heads to McElfresh and tails to Taylor, a local news station WCPO-TV reported.
"The coin circled around the floor about three times and spun and then it just flopped over on tails and I had this big exhale of relief," Taylor told the station.
As a native of the city, he shared his plans to "expand us geographically so that way we can increase revenue in the city."
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"But I also want to make the City of Butler a place where my kids can grow up and my kids' kids can grow up," Taylor added.
Representatives from the City of Butler did not immediately return PEOPLE's request for comment.
Speaking to ABC News, Taylor — a firefighter and paramedic who is already a member of Butler city council — said he has a "well-thought-out" future for the city.
"I want to reassure people that, going forward, my visions for the city are going to remain [the same as] the campaign promises that I ran on," he explained.
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Kentucky is among 28 states which determine winners by drawing lots or similar methods to resolve a tied election, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Meanwhile, 14 other states will require a new election to be called if candidates end up garnering the same amount of votes in the race.
