Lucky numbers: Westmoreland County breaks more than 200 election ties with blue pills

Brian Carnahan didn’t even know he’d be a candidate for public office until he cast a write-in vote for himself on Election Day.

That single vote was enough to put him into a five-way tie for the position of inspector of elections at his Jeannette 5th ward precinct for the next four years.

“I voted, then I went to work and got fired. Now I got hired,” said Carnahan, 28, Friday after his lucky number was pulled during a two-hour public meeting at the Westmoreland County Courthouse to break ties in more than 200 races on this month’s ballot.

About two-dozen candidates appeared in person to see if lady luck was on their side. County elections officials determined the winners by using a plastic water bottle filled with numbered blue pills. The candidate who pulled the pill labeled with No. 1 was declared the winner.

Joseph Gongaware, 26, of Salem, said his candidacy was initially just a joke.

“It was just a joke that went a little too far,” Gongaware said after posing for a selfie with his lucky pill after winning a seat as judge of elections. “We joke around a lot in my family about serving. This would make my grandma happy; I’m the first elected official in my family.”

Jared Anderson, 28, of Hempfield, was among nine candidates who finished with one vote each in his precinct. He was the first candidate in his race to draw a lot. However, when he double-checked his selection, he realized he wasn’t a winner and finished seventh.

This result led to some second-guessing.

“I wrote my name in, then I thought too late to ask my brothers to write me in. They had already voted,” Anderson said.

Westmoreland County is a rarity in Pennsylvania, being one of the few counties that still elects judges and inspectors of elections. The county elects one judge and two inspectors for each of its 306 voting precincts. Judges are paid $235 to man the polls on Election Day, and inspectors are paid $175.

This year’s results saw 83 races for judges of elections and another 133 races for election inspectors finish in ties. In most of those cases, tied candidates received only one write-in vote. Winners must still be vetted to ensure they are registered voters and live in the precincts in which they were elected.

Election Bureau Director Scott Ross said not all winners will ultimately serve; some will reject their job offer, requiring the county to independently hire judges and inspectors.

Ties were also broken Friday in races for auditors and tax collectors in Bell, Seward, St. Clair, and Upper Burrell, and for two council seats in Sutersville. No candidates appeared in person to break ties in those races.

Jeffrey L. Sterling of Arnold said the process of breaking election ties is about democracy.

“No one is looking for these jobs, and you can understand that. I’m an old, retired guy, and when I got there, I decided since no one was on the ballot, I wrote my name in,” Sterling said, noting that appearing in person to watch the tie-breaking process was optional. “If they tell you to come up and draw a lot, I’m going to do it.”

Pills were selected by alphabetical order, so Sterling watched as Ross pulled out pills for his three opponents who were not in attendance. When it was finally his turn, only the winning pill remained for him to select.

Sterling has previously worked as a judge of elections, but this victory will mark his first time as an elected official.

“The first time I worked as a judge, no one wrote any names in,” Sterling said.