By Angela Hatton
Madisonville, KY – The Hopkins County Clerk's office resolved an election this week with a coin toss. Both candidates for the Madisonville City Council Ward 3 position received 123 votes. Democrat Raymond Marion, Junior won the toss yesterday over incumbent Democrat Nora Stewart. Chief Deputy Clerk Keenan Ratcliff says officials recounted votes three times. Ratcliff says Kentucky law requires that the board of elections decide a deadlocked race by lot. She says they would have preferred to allow both Stewart and Marion to go on to the general election, but Madisonville's primary races are by wards, while general election races are city-wide. Hopkins and Christian are two of only three counties in the state that still use the ward system.