GILA BEND — A three of spades. A three of clubs. Which one topped the other?
The game of high-card draw would decide who would fill the final outstanding seat on the Gila Bend Town Council. The game was just as close as the vote total in the July 21 election, when both candidates tied at 67.
On Aug. 25, candidates Jesus Rubalcava and Athena Guerrero squared off over a deck of cards.
A Maricopa County judge ruled on Aug. 7 that both candidates received the same number of votes in the election.
If two or more candidates for an elected office receive the same number of votes, the outcome must be determined by a game of chance, according to an old Arizona law. This can be a coin toss or, in this case, a game of high-card draw.
This was the second time
the outcome of a Gila Bend Town Council seat election was left to a game of chance.
Rubalcava is now the two-time winner.
The series of events that led to the game of chance is "proof of why every vote counts," Rubalcava said in an Aug. 17 interview. He admitted it would be odd if he won the Town Council seat in a game for the second time. "At this point, it's just luck," Rubalcava said.
When Rubalcava drew the higher card on Aug. 25, he stepped back and smiled in disbelief.
Rubalcava said on Aug 25 that he jokingly teased his brother, mother and several of his relatives who live in the area for not voting in the July 21 primary because they could have helped him win the seat earlier if they had voted.
A fresh deck, but little fanfare
There was little digital fanfare before the game. The town of Gila Bend noted the event on the agenda for the Aug 25 council meeting, but it did not post about it on its Facebook.
About five residents attended the special council meeting that was held in the media tech room of the Gila Bend Unified School District offices.
After the Town Council voted on routine funding agenda items, Interim Town Clerk Patricia Riggs rolled out a small table with an automatic card-shuffler machine and a fresh deck of red-and-white playing cards.
After the candidates inspected the deck and confirmed it was new, Riggs ripped off the seal and struggled with the sealed deck.
"I never had that much hard time opening a deck of cards," Riggs said as she worked to open the flap.
Riggs removed the jokers and split the deck in half before she placed both halves in the machine to shuffle them.
The machine whirled.
After the cards were shuffled, each candidate took a turn cutting the deck. Guerrero went first, since the rules of the game required the candidates to go in alphabetical order.
Riggs straightened the cards and explained she would pick one card for each of the candidates.
Gila Bend Mayor Tommy Lee Sikes said the winner would be determined by whoever drew the highest-value card. The highest card value was aces, followed by kings, queens, jacks, then 10s through twos.
If both candidates drew a card of equal value, the winner would be determined by the candidate with the higher suit, Sikes said. The highest suit value was spades, followed by hearts, diamonds and clubs.
Both candidates expressed respect for each other and said they would be happy with whatever the outcome may be.
"I got a lot of love for my opponent," Guerrero said.
Rubalcava said he and Guerrero were both "in this for the right reasons."
'Who would've thought?'
Guerrero got a three.
Rubalcava got a three.
Both candidates laughed and clapped their hands in disbelief.
Riggs immediately asked for clarification on who had the higher suit.
Riggs and an attorney overseeing the game who called into meeting both checked their card value charts.
It was clear: Rubalcava was the winner.
"Who would've thought?" Riggs said as she smiled with disbelief.
"It was like, 'Wow! What are the chances?'" Guerrero said after the game.
Guerrero said she would "come back stronger" when she runs in the next Town Council election.
Not Gila Bend's first tiebreaker
"The game of chance is nothing new for me," Rubalcava said on Aug. 17.
The last time Gila Bend determined the fate of an elected position through a game of chance was on Sept. 23, 2014, according to a town newsletter that detailed the events of that day.
Rubalcava tied with then-candidate Daniel Birchfield for a seat on the Town Council, the newsletter said. Both candidates received 105 votes.
A judge flipped a $1 coin to determine who would win the seat.
Birchfield was heads and Rubalcava was tails.
"All eyes watched as Judge J.B. Getzwiller flipped the coin high and then as it settled on the floor….TAILS!" the newsletter said.
Rubalcava won the coin toss.
Rubalcava, a teacher at the local high school, often uses the coin-toss story as a lesson on the importance of civic engagement for his students.
His students, along with many other elected officials he's met through conferences for the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, are often left in disbelief by the story, Rubalcava said.
"And now, you know, here I go. I have a second story to that," Rubalcava said. "Wait a minute, I only did not just win once, I won two times, so it's crazy."
David Ulloa Jr covers the Southwest Valley communities of Avondale, Buckeye, Goodyear, Litchfield Park and Gila Bend. Reach him at david.ulloa@usatodayco.com. Follow him on Instagram & X, formerly Twitter, @davidulloa_ii.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Candidate wins Gila Bend council seat for 2nd time in game of chance
