According to the Omnibus Election Code, ties in electoral races may either be broken by drawing lots or conducting a coin toss. So when mayoral candidates Sue Cudilla and Noel Beronio both ended the race with 3,495 votes each, they opted for a coin toss to break the tie.
Photo from Manila Bulletin
The town of Araceli in Palawan was decided a mayor by the draw of luck last May 17. Former Mayor Cudilla proved the more fortunate over reelectionist Beronio. The coin was tossed three times and each time it landed tails, in favor of Cudilla. It was facilitated by the municipal board of canvassers.
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While Beronio previously told Palawan Daily News that he did not expect the fight to be this close, results in the past years should have warned him of such. Cudilla first beat Beronio for the mayoral seat in 2013 by only 759 votes. Closer still was Beronio’s victory over Cudilla in 2016 by 19 votes.
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Situated in Palawan, Araceli is an island-town with a voting population of 9,125 registered voters. The total number of votes for mayor amount to 6,990, meaning that there were still 2,135 remaining votes that could have made a difference.
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