Politics
Atlantic Beach Commission Seat 4 Race Remains Deadlocked After Full Recount; Coin Flip Friday Will Decide Winner
After a machine and manual recount confirmed Lisa Herrold and Jennifer Lagner each received 3,162 votes, Duval County election officials will use a game of chance Friday to determine Atlantic Beach's next commissioner. The public is invited to witness the drawing at the Supervisor of Elections office.
ATLANTIC BEACH â A seat on the Atlantic Beach City Commission will be decided by a coin flip after a full recount confirmed that two candidates are exactly tied.
Duval County Supervisor of Elections Jerry Holland announced Tuesday that the Duval County Canvassing Board completed both the machine and manual recounts in the race for Commissioner Seat 4, and the tally did not change: Lisa Herrold and Jennifer Lagner each received 3,162 votes.
The recount included vote-by-mail ballots, early voting results, all Election Day precincts and provisional ballots, according to the supervisor's office. The results remain unofficial until the Canvassing Board certifies them.
Because the race is deadlocked, Florida law calls for the winner to be determined by lot. The drawing is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 13, at 5:30 p.m. at the Duval County Supervisor of Elections Election Center, 1 Imeson Park Blvd., Suite 100, Jacksonville. The public is invited to attend.
Friday is also the deadline for overseas voters to return mail-in ballots under a 10-day extension for the General Election, and the Canvassing Board is scheduled to certify official results that same day.
The outcome will determine who represents Seat 4 on the five-member commission that governs Atlantic Beach, a coastal community of roughly 13,000 residents in Duval County. The seat carries a four-year term and a voice in decisions on shoreline management, development and local services.
While tied elections are rare, they are not unprecedented in Florida, where state law provides a clear procedure for resolving them. Election officials said the process will be open to the public, and results will be posted at duvalelections.gov.
For now, both campaigns are waiting on a decision that will come down to a single toss.