An Election Night Stunner
The year was 1980, a time of national political upheaval as Ronald Reagan was poised to win the presidency. In Washington’s 37th Legislative District, a diverse, D-leaning area in southeast Seattle, two candidates were vying for a seat in the state House of Representatives. On one side was Republican Bob Rinker, and on the other was Democrat Bob Saldaña. As the polls closed and the initial votes were tallied on November 4th, the result was a cliffhanger. But as the final numbers came in, it became clear this was no ordinary close race. The two men were locked in an exact tie, a scenario so rare it seemed like a statistical error.
The Recounts That Confirmed the Impossible
In any close election, a recount is standard procedure. Washington state law mandates recounts when margins are exceptionally
thin. The first machine recount was ordered for the Saldaña-Rinker race, with officials and campaign volunteers watching anxiously as the ballots were processed again. The result was the same: a perfect tie. Believing there must be some mistake or a ballot that was misread by the machine, a second, more thorough recount was conducted by hand. Election workers meticulously examined every single ballot. Yet again, the outcome held. The final, certified tally was 11,208 votes for Saldaña and 11,208 votes for Rinker. The margin wasn't a few dozen votes or a handful; it was zero.
Heads or Tails for a Seat in the House?
With two recounts confirming the dead heat, election officials turned to the state constitution to find the solution. The law at the time was archaic but clear: in the event of a tie for a legislative seat that could not be otherwise resolved, the winner was to be determined 'by lot'. This could mean drawing straws or pulling a name from a hat. In this case, officials decided the fairest method was a simple coin toss. The bizarre, almost unbelievable scenario was set. A legislative career, and the representation of thousands of constituents, would come down to a 50/50 chance.
The Flip That Made History
The coin toss was a tense affair. According to reports from the time, the chair of the canvassing board flipped a silver dollar. Bob Rinker, the Republican, chose 'heads'. The coin spun in the air and landed. It was 'tails'. Just like that, Bob Saldaña, the Democrat, was declared the winner of the election. He would go to the state capital in Olympia to represent the 37th District, his victory secured not by a voter, but by a simple flip of a coin. The outcome was a stark and literal demonstration of how a single vote, had it been cast differently, would have prevented the tie-breaking spectacle entirely.
