Lottery drawing required to break tie in Plainfield trustee race

PLAINFIELD — A lottery drawing will determine the final winner in the race for Plainfield village trustee.

Following Tuesday's count of provisional and mail-in ballots by the Will County Clerk's office, candidates Brian Wojowski and Michael Lambert remained in a deadlock, with 741 votes apiece. Kendall County ballots are included in those totals.

Wojowski and Lambert were two of six candidates who vied for three spots on the board in the April 7 election.

The rare tie will be decided with a lottery drawing at the WIll County Clerk's office on Friday, Will County Clerk Nancy Schultz Voots said.

“This is only the second lottery we've done since I've been in office … I was elected in 2002,” Schultz Voots said.

How it works

Under Illinois law, when two or more candidates tie, the county clerk shall determine the election “by lot.”

“Some use a coin toss or a (high-card draw),” Schultz Voots said. “We use bingo balls.”

Schultz said a container with two bingo balls, with the numbers one and two on them, will be shaken before candidates draw. Whoever pulls the bingo ball with the No. 1 on it will be declared the winner, she said.

With all provisional ballots counted on Tuesday, incumbent Bill Lamb secured one of three spots on the board, with 768 votes. Candidate Edward O'Rourke also won a seat, with 759 votes.

They came out ahead of candidate Mark Chmura, who received 583 votes, and John Green, who received 444 votes.

Four of the six candidates — including Wojowski and Lambert — were within nine votes of each other on Election Day.