Spring Lake Park incumbent mayor Robert Nelson wins tiebreaker draw

SPRING LAKE PARK, Minn. (FOX 9) - The long-time mayor of Spring Lake Park will likely keep his position after a game of chance to settle a tie.

Spring Lake Park mayoral race

The backstory:

On midterm election night, both incumbent Mayor Robert Nelson and challenger Halyn Roth received exactly 1,401 votes, a deadlocked tie.

Monday night, city officials randomly drew a name out of a bag to determine a winner. It was Nelson’s name the got pulled out of the bag.

Roth, now the losing candidate, can request a recount, and he told FOX 9 he already has. That recount will take place Tuesday, Nov. 17.

"It was fair as far as it could be. Can't imagine any other way we could have done it. I know some were frustrated by the process and my message is, if you want this to change, call your legislators and ask them to change it," Roth said.

What if the tie stays?

Dig deeper:

If the recount results in another tie at 1,401 votes apiece, the results of Monday night’s drawing stand. That means Nelson stays on as the leader of Spring Lake Park.