Overview
- The unofficial tally shows incumbent Robert Nelson and challenger Halyn Roth each received 1,401 votes, producing a precise tie in the Spring Lake Park mayoral contest.
- City officials scheduled a public canvass at the City Council meeting on Nov. 9 at 5:30 p.m. and said they will conduct a random drawing if the canvass does not change the result.
- Minnesota law requires a tied race to be decided by lot and gives the candidate not chosen seven days to request a publicly funded recount, while margins under 0.5% can trigger a state-funded hand recount.
- The city set a Nov. 16, 5 p.m. deadline to request recounts and tentatively scheduled any recounts for Nov. 17 at the Anoka County Courthouse.
- Thirteen write-in votes and a separately close city council race decided by 17 votes highlight how a small number of ballots could change outcomes and prompt additional recounts; one mayoral candidate has said she will request a recount if the drawing selects her opponent.