During Saturday’s Isle of Wight election count votes were so close for a seat on Sandown Town Council it was determined by drawing a name out of a box.
Six seats were available for the South Ward of the Sandown Town Council but eight candidates were fighting for a place.
200 votes apiece
The sixth and seventh placed candidates, Emily Brothers and Pauline Evans, were tied on 200 votes apiece, so lots were drawn to ultimately decide who would get the seat.
Ms Brothers got the luck of the draw and a place on the town council.
Claire Shand, returning officer for the Isle of Wight Council, said after speaking to the count supervisor she was confident the numbers were correct and that left them in a position where lots had to be drawn.
Numbers rechecked
Ms Shand said both candidates were aware of the process, but the candidate who lost was ‘understandably sad’.
Ms Shand said she had the numbers rechecked one final time and they still were exactly the same as before, so the drawn lot stood.
Cllr Brothers will now take her place, along with 11 others, on Sandown Town Council.
The results
Here are the full results for Sandown Town Council – South Ward: (those elected are highlighted in bold)
- Frank Baldry – 225
- Emily Brothers – 201
- Pauline Evans – 200
- Jenny Hicks – 336
- Paddy Lightfoot – 418
- Ian Ward – 389
- Toby Wilcock – 314
- Gary Young – 114
Turnout: 29.81 per cent
Six seats were also available in the North Ward of the town but this time with ten candidates vying for a place.
See the full results here:
- Debbie Andre, Ind- 510
- Sue Betts, Green- 307
- Paul Brading- 228
- Ian Fletcher- 349
- Dan Haynes, Ind- 275
- Heather Humby, Ind- 604
- Alex Lightfoot, Ind- 477
- Robert May, Ind- 295
- Stephen Parkes- 167
- Joan Solomon- 285
Turnout: 35.06 per cent
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which News OnTheWight is part of. Read here to find about more about how that scheme works on the Island. Some alterations and additions may have been made by News OnTheWight. Ed
Image: Toa Heftiba under CC BY 2.0
