Bingo Balls serve as tiebreakers for 39 binding elections in Westmoreland County – CBS Pittsburgh

By: Staff News KDKA-TV

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – When politicians tell you that every vote counts, it has a ring of truth – for example, when an election ends.

In Westmoreland County earlier this month, 39 election races ended.

Usually, only about a dozen races end in a tie.

The county had to draw lots, using bingo balls to decide the winner.

(Photo Credit: KDKA)

The bingo balls were stacked in what appeared to be a soft drink bottle.

The numbers have been picked and the Elections Bureau will try to track down the winners.

“We do our best to keep them informed. We put it out on the website. We try to look at the phone numbers and call them, because we personally don’t know the people on the list. We assume they are registered voters. In some cases, they are. In some cases, they may not be,” said Scott Ross, Interim Co-Director of Westmoreland County Elections.

The election winners will become official on Monday, minus any last-minute court filings.

Winners can turn down the office they were elected to if someone had written them in for a job they didn’t want.