Heads or tails? Yep, that will decide this Ada County Republican precinct election
An Ada County race ended in a tie in the recently completed primary election, so officials are resolving it in the only way allowed: with a coin toss.
The result will determine the winner between two Republican candidates for precinct committeeman in Precinct 1915, which covers part of Boise’s West End from the Boise River to 15th Street, and from State Street to Americana Boulevard.
The candidates are Brock Frazier, chairman of Region IV for the Idaho GOP, and Carol R. Davey. Each received 36 votes. A precinct committeeman represents the party at the precinct level and serves as a local connection to voters.
The ballots for the election have been canvassed and certified, so state law says the only way left to figure out who won is to flip a coin. The law was put on the books in 1970 and requires the candidates to appear before the county clerk within two days of votes being canvassed.
Though resolving elections this way isn’t common, it has happened several times in the past few years, said Chelsea Carattini, spokesperson for the Ada County elections office. It’s more common in races with a small number of voters, she said.
“In Ada County, we typically see it with these precinct committeeman races,” which come around every two years, she said. “We did one in 2016 and in 2012.”
Frazier was also involved in a 2012 coin toss for the same position. In that election, he and his opponent, Roger M. Brown, both had 22 votes. Frazier won.
The coin will be flipped by Ada County Clerk Phil McGrane, who often uses “special” coins to resolve elections (although any coin would do). This time, Carattini said, he intends to use a Susan B. Anthony dollar in commemoration of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote. This is its 100th year.
County clerks receive no special training in how to flip coins, but Carattini said both McGrane and his predecessor, Christopher D. Rich, are “very good at it.”
The toss will take place at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 10, at the Ada County Elections office, 400 N. Benjamin Lane, Boise. Each candidate will be present, and the public is welcome to watch. It will be live-streamed on the office’s Facebook page.
.jpg)