Kentucky Town Chooses Mayor With a Coin Toss After Election Ended In Tie

When the mayoral race of a small Kentucky town ended in a tie, city officials decided that a coin toss would determine who would be the true winner.

The City of Butler, which holds about 600 residents, will welcome 25-year-old Mason Taylor into the mayoral office. In Tuesday’s election, both Taylor and incumbent Greg McElfresh received 55 votes. Joshua McGriffin, a third candidate, received just 15 votes. After the final vote, Pendleton County Clerk asked the sheriff to conduct the coin flip. He assigned McElfresh heads and tails to Taylor.

According to Taylor, the coin spun about three times, only heightening the anticipation in the room, before landing on tails, declaring him the winner. The Butler native, who is currently a firefighter and paramedic, is relieved with the decision and is eager to begin working on several projects to bring more money into the city.

“Going forward, I want to expand us geographically so that way we can increase revenue in the city,” Taylor said, adding that his ultimate goal was to make Butler the best place possible for generations to come.

As an active member of the city council, Taylor had previously expressed many ideas to make the area a better place. Now, he is hoping to implement those initiatives to make the most out of his time in the office.

While a shocking practice to most, this isn’t the first time Butler has orchestrated a coin toss to break a tie. The practice was used in 2018 during a city council election.