Republican wins tied Virginia election in random drawing

A Republican won a Virginia state House of Delegates race and his party maintained its majority Thursday in a rare name-drawing to break a tied vote. A recount after the November election showed Democrat Shelley Simonds earned one more vote than incumbent Republican David Yancey for the seat representing Newport News, Va. But a court ruled that a previously excluded ballot for Yancey could be counted, giving each candidate 11,608 votes. At the Virginia elections board meeting Thursday, each candidate’s name was printed on a piece of paper and placed into separate film canisters. The canisters were put into a cobalt blue–and-white ceramic bowl made by a local artist, stirred around, and Yancey’s name was chosen. With Yancey’s victory, the GOP now holds a narrow 51-49 advantage in the House. Prior to November’s elections, Republicans had a 66-34 majority.