CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — It's a deadlocked race for the District 1 Council seat in Corpus Christi which has city officials preparing for a recount, with the process now officially underway.
The Corpus Christi City Council canvassed the results of the recent runoff elections on Monday, confirming a rare tie in the District 1 race. Incumbent Everett Roy and challenger Billy Lerma are both tied with 1,916 votes apiece, making it one of the closest races in the city’s history.
“This has been a long process, but we’re going to get this done,” said Roy, who is seeking re-election for his council seat.
City Secretary Rebecca Huerta announced an electronic recount is tentatively scheduled for next Monday. If the recount does not break the tie, a tie-breaker method will be used.
“What that means is we’re going to have a toss of the coin or a drawing of names out of a hat—that’s how tie-breakers are resolved in a runoff election,” Huerta explained.
With the possibility of a coin toss or random draw looming, both candidates are eager to bring the race to a close.
Lerma isn't pleased about the electronic recount, he told KRIS 6 he believed it would be done by hand. Stating he would pay for one.
“At some point, we’ve got to bring this to a conclusion. I’m willing to do whatever we can,” said Roy.
Regardless of the outcome, the new city council members will be sworn in on January 14.
The closely watched District 1 race has drawn attention for its razor-thin margin, and the final result may come down to sheer chance.
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