If two candidates get the same number of votes in the upcoming election, the city council voted 4-1 this week to draw straws to determine the outcome.
City Clerk and acting City Manager Denise Radde outlined two major options for the council to choose from as state law mandated they have a policy in place in the eventuality of a tie.
Radhe told the Council they must adopt a resolution to have options in place in the event of a tie.
According to the L.A. County Register of Voters office, the City of Avalon has 1,850 registered voters as of March 22. Citizens have until March 26 to register to vote (at City Hall).
In the event of a tie vote, Radde said the city could either opt for a special election to determine the outcome or simply draw lots.
Scott Campbell, the city attorney, said the term technically meant the city could use any number of random practices to determine the outcome, including rock/paper/sissors, drawing straws or simply selecting cards from a shuffled deck.
Both he and Radde said in such an instance, “there will be plenty of witnesses.”
City voters are being asked to re-elect incumbent mayor Anni Marshall or select a former mayor, Robert Kennedy to lead the council. Two incumbent councilmen, Cinde MacGugen-Cassidy and Joe Sampson are asking voters to return them to office.
They face four challengers, including former city attorney Pam Albers, former city manager Steven Hoefs, former mayor Ralph J. Morrow Jr. and Mark H. Alft.
Most of the council favored the simple drawing of lots, but when the vote was not unanimous, Marshall asked Sampson to explain his vote.
“This election is far too important for that,” said Sampson said he thought voters would be best served by a special election between tying candidates, not by random chance.
