A Virginia House of Delegates seat remains at a tie vote Thursday after a panel of judges ruled the one-vote victory invalid.
The three-judge panel ruled Wednesday afternoon that the ballot was invalid and should have been counted toward Republican incumbent Del. David Yancey instead of Democratic challenger Shelly Simonds.
The ballot, according to the Daily Press, had Republican gubernatorial candidate Ed Gillespie’s name filled in, but had both Mr. Yancey’s and Ms. Simonds’ names filled in with a slash through Ms. Simonds’ name.
The panel originally convened to certify the results, but now the recount will continue to the State Board of Elections for certification. If the contest still ends in a tie, state law says the winner is chosen “by lot,” meaning the race could be decided by a coin toss.
Contact the author
Please read our comment policy before commenting.