A Minnesota mayor has been declared the winner of an election after his name was randomly pulled from a bag, breaking a tie between two candidates who received exactly the same number of votes.
The unusual process took place in Spring Lake Park, a suburb of Minneapolis, after incumbent Mayor Robert Nelson and challenger Halyn Roth each received 1,201 votes in the November 3 election.
With neither candidate securing a victory at the ballot box, city officials turned to a method permitted under Minnesota law to determine the winner. However, the result could still change following a requested recount.
Minnesota mayor wins election after name drawn from bag
Nelson and Roth attended a special city council meeting on November 9, where officials prepared to break the tie by drawing lots.
City administrator Daniel Buchholtz explained that he had folded pieces of paper containing each candidate’s name in the same way before placing them inside identical film canisters.
The canisters were then placed inside a blue fabric grocery bag, prompting Nelson to joke, “Got a rabbit in there?”
“I’m a city administrator, not a magician,” Buchholtz replied.
City council member Barbara Goodboe-Bisschoff was tasked with selecting a canister from the bag, which she handed back to Buchholtz to reveal the winning name.
Nelson’s name was inside, allowing the incumbent mayor to retain his position, pending the outcome of a recount.
According to Minnesota Public Radio, Goodboe-Bisschoff wasn’t aware she would be responsible for the drawing until she arrived at the meeting. She said Nelson had avoided telling her beforehand because he was concerned she might not attend due to nerves.
The unusual election procedure was met with mixed reactions from the candidates, who shook hands before the drawing.
In a video shared on Instagram ahead of the meeting, Roth described the process as “really weird” and “not the way I would have preferred to have done it.”
Following the drawing, he acknowledged that the selection had been conducted fairly, despite concerns about the method itself.
“I mean, it was fair as far as it could be; I can’t imagine any other way that we could have done it,” Roth told MPR. “I know there’s a lot of folks who are frustrated by this process, and all I can say is if you want it to change, call your state legislators and ask them to change it.”
Nelson also questioned whether the process should be updated: “Just seems like it’s something from the 1800s, and now we’re in 2026, so I just feel there’s room for improvement, but I have not a clue which way that’d go,” he said.
Buchholtz explained that holding another election would be costly, with a new vote estimated to cost the city approximately $30,000.
“I know some people would rather have us do a revote, but doing a revote is really expensive,” he told MPR.
Despite Nelson’s name being selected, the election result is not necessarily final. Roth has requested a recount of the ballots cast in the November 3 election, which is scheduled for November 17.
The unusual result comes just weeks after a Canadian politician won an election despite openly telling voters he was “unqualified” and had no idea what he was doing.
Brady Rogers secured a seat on the city council in Grande Prairie, Alberta, after campaigning with signs that joked about his lack of qualifications, adding another unconventional election victory to the list in 2026.
I’m Abhishek Sharma, an author at TigerJek.com. I enjoy exploring games, testing different strategies, and turning what I learn into clear, useful guides. My goal is to help players understand the game better and improve without the usual confusion.
