HORTONVILLE – In a rare turn of electoral events, a deadlocked race for the Hortonville Village Board was decided by a game of chance Wednesday morning. Newcomer Dalton Davis was declared the winner of the third available seat following a coin toss to break a tie with incumbent Shauna Keel.
According to unofficial results from the Outagamie County Clerk, both Davis and Keel finished the Tuesday election with exactly 356 votes. Wisconsin state law requires that a tie in a local election be decided by lot—commonly a coin toss or drawing straws—if a recount does not change the tally.
Davis confirmed to the Press Star in a phone interview Wednesday afternoon that the Village has officially notified him of his victory.
"I got emails from the administrator... with congratulations and everything, so I'm assuming that’s official," Davis said, noting he has already received his oath of office paperwork.
The race for three open seats on the board saw incumbent Julie Arendt Vanden Heuvel lead the pack with 422 votes, followed by newcomer Therese Abitz with 405 votes. The battle for the final seat, however, remained frozen at 356 votes between Keel and Davis throughout the night.
Despite the high stakes, Davis described a respectful relationship with Keel, noting that the two even campaigned together.
"Me and her already reached out back and forth to each other... we both put out signs together," Davis said. "I was also hoping Shauna would also get on the board. I did vote for her and myself."
Village officials have not yet responded to requests for comment regarding the specific procedures of the coin toss.
Davis, a newcomer to local government, expressed gratitude to his supporters and excitement for the challenge ahead.
"Just an overall thank you," Davis said to his constituents. "I was kind of surprised it came down to a coin flip. I didn't realize that was how you finish things, but it’s kind of funny."
Davis is expected to be sworn in at the next scheduled Village Board meeting.
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