Washington Co. Commission elects to decide tied race itself
Washington Co. Commission elects to decide tied race itself
Murry Lee Tue, September 1, 2026 at 3:32 AM UTC
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WASHINGTON COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) — The Washington County Commission voted on Monday night to resolve a tied election for a commission seat itself.
Commissioners decided to break the tie between incumbent Republican Ken Huffine and Democratic challenger Cindy Humphrey.
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During the August general election, Huffine and Humphrey each received 507 votes in the race for the District 13 commission seat.
Humphrey spoke during the public comment section, asking the commission to adopt a resolution calling for a runoff election. However, the commission chose to settle the tie itself.
Commissioners broke the tie, awarding the seat to Huffine with 14 commissioners, including Huffine himself, voting in favor. Democrat Jodi Jones abstained.
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According to state law, in the event of such a tie, commissioners could either break the tie as a governing body or decide to hold a runoff vote, allowing voters another chance to choose a winner.
"I was extremely disappointed that it wasn't sent to a runoff, especially because of the 21 or so public comments today," Humphrey told News Channel 11. "All but three were citizens requesting a runoff. So it fell on deaf ears."
When asked about the fairness of the decision, Huffine said he had "no comment." He did, however, say that he believes the people of District 13 do not deserve to wait two more months until the November election for representation.
"My fellow commissioners made that decision, and I think that they did make the right decision simply because the citizens need representation," Huffine said. "We don't need to have an open seat for the next three or four months, especially when you're starting with a new commission."
The Washington County Democratic Party issued a statement condemning the commission's decision to break the tie:
"Tonight’s decision may be permitted by law, but that does not make it the right thing to do. Five hundred and seven voters chose Kenny Huffine. Five hundred and seven chose Cindy Humphrey. When the voters themselves reach a tie, politicians should not substitute their judgment for the judgment of the people they represent. District 13 deserved a runoff, and its voters deserved the final say. And while we understand that Commissioner Huffine was legally permitted to participate, allowing an incumbent to cast a deciding vote in an election in which he is a candidate only underscores why this decision should have been returned to the voters."
Sylvain Bruni, Chair of the Washington County Democratic Party
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