(RepublicanPress.org) – According to the National Civic League, only 15% to 27% of eligible voters participate in local elections. Still, no matter how many people show up to cast their ballot, every vote counts. That point was recently driven home in Washington State when one man lost his election because he didn’t vote for himself.
On November 7, residents of Thurston County traveled to their local voting center to choose who they wanted to serve on the Rainier City Council Position No. 2 — Damion Green or Ryan Roth. When the county tallied the votes, they found Roth had won by a single ballot — his own.
A local politician lost his election by one vote after he decided not to vote for himself https://t.co/mWjaa36pzG
— Insider Politics (@insiderpolitics) December 4, 2023
Since the race was so close, the Thurston County Canvassing Board conducted a manual recount on December 1 and found the tally didn’t change. The only difference between the two candidates was that Roth voted for himself, and Green didn’t vote at all. The two men would’ve tied for the spot had Green cast his vote. According to reports, Mr. Green said he “didn’t feel comfortable” voting for himself, as he considered it “narcissistic.”
The Seattle Times reported that the candidate said he wasn’t “discouraged at all” by the result, stating that God didn’t want him in that position at this time. Oddly, Roth almost skipped the vote as well, but his wife reportedly encouraged him to mail in his ballot just in the nick of time. The victor said if they would’ve tied, he would’ve “called tails on the coin toss.”
As for the new councilman’s thoughts on winning by one vote, he said, “It was wild.” Roth also said his opponent called to congratulate him after the recount, saying he probably should’ve voted. He called Green a “solid guy.” NPR reported that his biggest takeaway from the experience was realizing that “every vote does count” and you should “always count on yourself for a like.”
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