“Flip a Coin”; Commission seat comes up heads

In what almost everyone had a hard time believing, the race for County Commissioner from District 1 came down to a literal, rather than proverbial, coin toss.

“I think I pounded the table – I could not believe it!”  stated County Clerk Jill Stoor as she recounted the moment the election night tabulation came through.

It was an experience shared by almost everyone who was watching the returns update on VoteIdaho.gov or a related site, and saw the numbers flash onto the screen.  Current Commissioner Marty McCullough received the third most votes at 405, which was a surprise.  But it was quickly followed up by the even more surprising numbers for the other two candidates: 469 and 469.  George Hulse from the Bancroft area and Tracy Davis from Soda Springs had deadlocked at 34.92% of the vote.  

It’s one of those things that makes you take a pause, consider the incredible odds against such a thing happening, and then marvel at the universe’s capacity for surprise.

One person – out of ALL eligible voters – would have had to do absolutely anything at all differently, and the tie would never have happened.  If someone who didn’t vote had voted for one of the two at the top, there would be a clear winner.  If someone who did vote had stayed home, the numbers would have resulted in a clear leader.  If someone who voted nonchalantly had made a different choice, all the dynamics would have shifted.  If someone had changed their mind at the last minute, it would have affected everything.  And so on to infinity.

In any case, the reaction from many across the community – anecdotally and on a number of social media platforms – ranged from bemusement to anger.  

Most people had a hard time believing it was true.

“I called the Secretary of State’s office, and yes, it’s true,” Clerk Stoor said.  As a result of the phone call it was confirmed that state law (last updated in 1970) is the source of the rule.  As Stoor explained, she doesn’t have the ability to change the laws governing elections, only to enforce them.

It’s hard to believe that the issue hasn’t come up often enough to get fixed in the last fifty-five years.  You’d think once would be enough.  Amazingly a coin flip was also used to break a similar tie in Jerome on Tuesday as well.  

In any case, if legislation is the only solution it would likely see a lot of support from Caribou County, and likely anywhere that has been a part of such a process.

The idea of a recount was widely mentioned, with most people being surprised to learn that it was not an automatic part of the process.

George Hulse

 It was suggested that automatic recounts are in place for municipalities above a certain population threshold, though that specific claim has not been verified as of press time.

The coin flip was administered by Clerk Jill Stoor, after Hulse and Davis were given the chance to guess closest to a random number chosen by Chairman Mark Mathews.  The winner of the closest number was given the chance to choose heads or tails.

“In my mind, the voters have spoken that both candidates are equally qualified,” Clerk Stoor said, as she explained the tie during the vote canvass before the commissioners and audience.

The choice of heads or tails went to Davis,but the resulting flip went in Hulse’s favor, after which Hulse was named the Republican primary election winner.  He will run unopposed for the position on the November ballot. 

“Both of the candidates have been very accommodating, and I appreciate their behavior through this process,” Stoor said.

Hulse will be on the ballot in November, and once elected, he will begin serving as a county commissioner beginning in January of 2027.

Either candidate has the option of requesting a recount of the ballots within twenty days of May 26.

Full election results below: