A drawn lot decides the mayor of Lytton, B.C., after a tied election

Votes each

45 votes each

Jennifer Thoss and incumbent mayor Denise O'Connor each received 45 votes in the Oct 17 election, and a judicial recount in Kamloops gave the same tally.

The winner was then decided by drawing lots in front of a judge, and Thoss won, the village says. Peachland, B.C., had its mayor decided the same way in 2018.

Background

Thoss, a councillor since 2022, has criticized the recovery from the 2021 wildfire that killed two people and destroyed most of the village. She has said more than $50 million in planned infrastructure, funded largely by Ottawa, would "bankrupt" Lytton.

Lytton has 198 registered voters. The 2021 census, taken just before the fire, counted 210 people.