When the mayoral campaign in a small city in Kentucky ended in a draw, city officials turned to opportunities to determine the winner.
Mason Taylor will become the next mayor of Butler after winning a coin toss this week.
In Tuesday's election, he and current MP Greg McElfresh each received 55 votes. The third candidate – Joshua McGriffin – also received 15 votes.
Kentucky law states that election relations must be broken by "drawing lots" - meaning that the winner is randomly selected. Pendleton County officials decided that night by tossing a coin to decide who would lead the city with about 600 residents.
According to WCPO, a subsidiary of ABC Cincinnati, Pendleton County sheriff allocated the front to McElfresh and the reverse to Taylor before tossing a coin.
Taylor told WCPO: "The coin went around the floor for about three times and then it turned over the tail and I was relieved."
The 25-year-old Butler native currently serves on Butler City Council as a firefighter and paramedic.
Taylor told ABC News that he has a "deliberate" future for Butler City.
"I want to assure people that in the future, my vision for the city will be consistent with what I did when I ran for the election," he said.
Kentucky mayoral election was decided after a draw.
He told WCPO that he hopes to expand cities geographically as a means to increase income. In an interview with local Falmouth Outlook, Taylor said he would also seek grant work to increase his income.
He told WCPO that he hopes to expand cities geographically as a means to increase income. In an interview with local Falmouth Outlook, Taylor said he would also seek grant work to increase his income.
"But I also want Butler City to be a place where my kids can grow up, and my kids can grow up," Taylor's family has lived in northern Kentucky cities for generations, he told WCPO.
Other goals shared with voters on social media before Election Day include attracting new businesses into the city, performing "repairs required" of the city's infrastructure, including water treatment plants, and adding attractions by adding a licking river access.
Output Mayor McElfresh did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News.
Taylor told ABC News that this is not the first time the city has used a coin toss to break the tie. He said 2018 was completed in the city council elections.
Kentucky is not the only state to decide on elections by drawing lots. According to the National State Assembly, 28 states determine the winner by drawing lots “or similar random methods.”
Last year, the winner of the Portland City Council Competition in Maine was determined by pulling a name out of a wooden bowl.
In a 2017 game, the winner of the fiercely contested Virginia House seat was determined by drawing a name from a ceramic bowl.
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