Illinois village to resolve tied election with a coin flip

April 10 (UPI) -- An Illinois village is poised to choose its new leader with the flip of a coin after the election for village president ended with both candidates tied at 11 votes.

Williamson County Clerk Amanda Barnes said the village president will be chosen with a coin flip April 20 after candidates Tammy O'Daniell-Howell and Bryan Riekena each received 11 votes in Tuesday's election.

"We are not waiting for any absentee ballots, so the vote total should not change," Barnes told The Southern Illinoisan.

O'Daniell-Howell, who currently serves as village clerk, said she ran to pay tribute to her father, who served as the village's mayor for several years.

"I wanted to honor my dad. He was mayor for several years and passed away while he was in office," O'Daniell-Howell said. "I want to support my town."

Both candidates lamented the low voter turnout in Tuesday's election. There were only 29 people who cast their ballots, despite a population of at least 225 people, according to the 2010 census.

"I would have liked to see a little more than 11 or 12 percent show up," Riekena said.