SISTER BAY (NBC 26) — The Village of Sister Bay has a new Village President and it all came down to a roll of the dice.
"All of us wish that one more person had voted," Village Board of Canvassers member Mary Smythe said.
After incumbent Rob Zoschke and candidate Nate Bell tied 256-256 in the April election, the race went to a tiebreaker.
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"I just celebrate the fact that it highlights every vote counts," Smythe said. "In our very small village of 1,200 people, we came down to exactly the same number of votes for each candidate. You know, who would believe?"
"There were about 70 people who chose not to vote, and part of that is just not knowing the candidates," Village of Sister Bay Clerk Heidi Teich said.
Teich says there wasn't an automatic recount because there wasn't a winner.
"There had been talk of conducting a recount," Teich said. "But, after speaking with both of the candidates yesterday, they seemed to indicate that they would be satisfied with the results of this tiebreaking method."
Teich said that when a tie happens, the tiebreaker is random. Canvassers conduct a tiebreaker and it could be a flip of the coin, drawing a name out of a hat, drawing straws, or something else.
Sister Bay's Board of Canvassers chose to roll the dice.
The tiebreaker took place Thursday morning with Zoschke getting a two and Bell getting a six, making Nate Bell the next Village President.
"This is a difficult process," Smythe said. "There's a winner and there's a loser, and they both got the same number of votes."
Which proves why it's so important to vote.
"Our nation, our democracy depends on informed and active citizens," Smythe said.
Zoschke can request a recount if he wishes, but Teich said it's a long process and he has a short window of time to file the request.
Bell is expected to be sworn in on April 18, and will serve a two-year term.
It has been 20 years since the last tie occurred in Sister Bay.
