Sunnyside Uses Luck To Determine Council Candidate

A tie between two Sunnyside City Council Candidates was finally settled Tuesday with a game of chance.

A recount from the primary election produced the same results as the initial count. A tie between District 3 candidates Spencer Martin and Victor Ochoa. So how do you declare a winner? The Yakima County Auditor said it comes down to luck.

Numbers one through 10 were put in separate plastic casings and then dropped into a bingo machine. The candidate who drew the lowest number advanced to the general election. Ochoa drew the number ten and Martin picked four, declaring him the winner.

Martin said he's grateful for the opportunity to move forward. If he's elected, he said he wants to find a better way to address the needs of people living in Sunnyside.

"Rather then bullying and harassing our people, we need to make those people feel like they're really part of the town, which they are," said Martin.

"Spencer knows I'm excited for him," said Ochoa. "I'm right on behind him and I support everything. We think alike and we have the same ideas so I have no doubt that he's going to be a good council member if elected."

Martin will run against incumbent Council Member Don Vlieger in November.

Voter turnout was low for Sunnyside District 3 at just less than 20 percent.