What Happens If Votes Are Tied In Local Elections?

Wednesday, 15 October 2025, 3:24 pm
Article: Matthew Rosenberg - Local Democracy Reporter

Council hopefuls are enduring a nervous wait in some centres as several races remain too close to call under provisional results. 

In Invercargill, the final seat at the table is currently held by a razor thin margin of seven votes. Westland’s mayoral race is separated by just four votes, while further north, Kaipara’s mayoralty is a three-horse race with 31 votes in it. 

Local authorities are still working their way through special votes and final results are not expected until later this week. 

So what happens if it's a dead heat? 

Invercargill City Council has provided some clarification, saying the winner would be determined by 'lots', as per electoral legislation. 

The ancient practice includes methods such as drawing straws for the purpose of randomised selection. 

In 2019, the winner of a Whakatāne council seat was determined by a coin flip before a recount found the unlucky loser had actually won by a single vote. 

A tied result is not an impossibility in Invercargill, given just 106 votes separate four candidates with 904 special votes still to count. 

Lisa Tou McNaughton and Ian Reeves sit on either side of the cut-off with 5,564 votes and 5,557 votes respectively, but have remained philosophical. 

Tou McNaughton said the result was in God's hands while Reeves said, "what will be will be". 

The candidates unsuccessfully contested the 2023 by-election won by councillor Steve Broad, and Tou McNaughton also stood in the 2022 election. 

Both have been invited to a council induction on Wednesday despite the possibility neither make it in.

Trailing Reeves are three candidates who are still in the running: Lynley McKerrow, David Meades and Karl Herman. Invercargill City Council is expected to release final results later this week. 

Mayoral results across Southland include Tom Campbell securing a first term in Invercargill, Rob Scott securing a second term in Southland district and Ben Bell securing a second term in Gore district.

Invercargill City Council preliminary results: 

Mayoralty: 

Tom Campbell 6815

Alex Crackett 4940

Ian Pottinger 2272

Ria Bond 1731

Tom Morton 670

Andrew Clark 278

Stevey Chernishov 214

Gordon McCrone 63

Council (12 vacancies): 

Steve Broad 11,143,

Alex Crackett 9703

Grant Dermody 8129

Marcus Lush 8128

Trish Boyle 7267

Darren Ludlow 7177

Ria Bond 7153

Ian Pottinger 7027

Allan Arnold 5961

Andrea De Vries 5663

Barry Stewart 5591

Lisa Tou McNaughton 5564

Ian Reeves 5557

Lynley McKerrow 5402

David Meades 5274

Karl Herman 4670

Terry King 4592

Chris Dawson 4403

Jay Coote 3954

Pania Coote 3746

Tony van der Lem 3673

Tom Morton 3160

Carl Heenan 2911

Dan O'Connell 2258

Amanda Laurie 2051

Noel Peterson 1256

Carol Jasperse 972

-LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air

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