Deciding council seats by drawing straws

[GinnyBaker]

How can a seat be so 'close' they have to do this?

Am I missing something?

Surely they should be able to count ballots to a definite and accurate number or what's the point?

According to the press bbc et al, in Northumberland, a close vote was recounted, coming up with a slightly different number again, so, because the vote was close, they drew straws to decide which of two councillors should win??

I am slightly agog. I could understand it if it was the same exact number for both candidates so it couldn't be decided by the votes....but drawing straws because they can't right??? am

It's just
How difficult is it to count accurately?

When the two top candidates get the same number of votes, then the decision is made by drawing straws, tossing a coin, etc.

It's nothing to do with inaccurate counting. Every vote is counted in elections and when there is a close result a recount is always done.

But how close can you get? In the case of South Blyth, 356 votes each.

I'd quite understand if two candidates got 356 votes each in this case, but unless the BBC are wrong, in this case it seems the recount didn't find they got the same number of votes each, but just a different close number to the first count, and it is this that I am questioning.

The first count showed one candidate ahead by a single vote. Two further recounts showed a dead heat.

The official result, as confirmed by the returning officer, show a dead heat.

If one candidate had more votes than the other, then that candidate would have won.

If it's a dead heat that's different - I got the impression they kept getting different numbers.
I'd be insisting on rock, paper, scissors, best of 3 go's. Or arm-wrestling.

Ah that's much clearer, Britbat, thanks, bbc left out that there had been two recounts showing the same number, gave the impression there had just been the count and one recount showing different numbers and I couldn't figure out why there hadn't been a second recount to clear it up.

I guess that's democracy saved then