Updated: Al Bedrosian won the random drawing this morning.
Roanoke County Republicans will conduct a random draw Tuesday morning to determine a party nominee for County Supervisor. It’s set for 9:30 am at the county administration building. Mike Bailey and Al Bedrosian both got 389 votes in Saturday’s Hollins District firehouse primary, and party rules call for a random draw to break the tie. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
(Continue reading for the full Roanoke County Republican Party statement)
Roanoke County
Republican Party
Republican Party
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information: 540.632.0467
Hollins Republican nomination to be decided Tuesday
Process mirrors longstanding Virginia election law
Roanoke County Republican Party Chairman David Suetterlein has issued the following statement regarding the Republican nomination for Hollins Supervisor:
Dear Friends,
The Republican nomination for Hollins Supervisor will be decided by lot at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Roanoke County Administration Building.
The 389-389 tie between Mike Bailey and Al Bedrosian in Saturday’s Republican Party Canvass or “firehouse primary” will be decided in the same manner that it would be if it were a general election or a State Board of Elections administered primary.
Rule 12 of the official rules for the May 11, 2013 Hollins Supervisor Republican Canvass states that “Candidates shall be elected on the basis of plurality of votes received. If two or more persons have an equal number of votes and a higher number than any other person, the Roanoke County Republican Executive Committee shall proceed publicly to determine by lot which of the persons shall be declared elected, after those persons have been notified and are allowed an opportunity to be present.”
The rule used by the Roanoke County Republicans is identical to the one recommended by the Republican Party of Virginia’s Plan of Organization and similar to Code of Virginia § 24.2-674 that states “If two or more persons have an equal number of votes for any county, city, town, or district office, and a higher number than any other person, the electoral board shall proceed publicly to determine by lot which of the candidates shall be declared elected.” The state law requiring the casting of lots to break an election tie has been virtually the same since at least 1950 when the Code of Virginia took its current form.
The Roanoke County Republican Executive Committee has decided that Rule 12 will be administered by each candidate’s name being written on five markers that would otherwise be identical. The ten markers will then be placed in a dark bag. One marker will then be drawn from the bag and the candidate whose name appears on the marker will be declared the nominee.
Former Republican Party of Virginia Chairman and Roanoke resident Don Huffman will draw the marker at a public event at the Roanoke County Administration Building at 9:30 on Tuesday morning. Mr. Huffman has been involved in Republican politics in this part of the Commonwealth since 1963 and has been honored by the state GOP that named its large annual gathering, The Donald W. Huffman Republican Party of Virginia Advance.
Thank you again to everyone who participated in Saturday’s firehouse primaries as a candidate, voter, or a volunteer. The five-vote margin in the Windsor Hills race and the tie in Hollins show just how significant each individual’s participation can be in determining an election’s outcome.
Sincerely,
David Suetterlein
Chairman
Roanoke County Republican Party
