Small Government Works Best When Neighbors Decide Together
You know that old saying about settling disputes by taking ten steps and drawing pistols at high noon? Well, one Nevada town just found the next best thing – and it’s perfectly legal.
This Wednesday in Gerlach, Nevada, two local candidates will settle their tied election with a deck of cards. Whoever draws high card wins. It’s not a joke. It’s actually state law.
Carl Copek and Seth Schrenzel both got exactly 67 votes for the Gerlach General Improvement District board. Now they’ll let Lady Luck decide who serves a full four-year term and who gets the two-year slot.
Why This Matters to Limited Government Folks
Here’s what makes this story special for those of us who believe in keeping government close to home. This tiny town of about 100 people runs its own affairs through their local improvement district. No big city bureaucrats telling them what to do. No state officials making their decisions. Just neighbors governing neighbors.
Schrenzel joked with local news:
“My initial recommendation was that we took 10 steps and attempt to shoot each other. But realizing that probably wasn’t going to fly, I think probably the next best thing is a high card draw, It is probably the most Nevada thing ever.”
Think about that for a minute. These two men are friends. They’re neighbors. They both already serve on this board together. And they’re handling this tie with good humor and grace. That’s what happens when government stays small and local.
The Law Actually Makes Sense
Nevada law says bigger state races get their ties broken by lawmakers. But for small local elections? The law says to settle it “by lot.” That usually means drawing cards.
Some folks might say this sounds crazy. Critics argue it’s not very “democratic” to let chance decide an election. But here’s another way to look at it. When two candidates are so evenly matched that the community literally can’t decide between them, maybe a fair game of chance is the most honest solution.
The Washoe County Registrar’s office says tie votes are pretty rare. Staff looked through almost 20 years of election data and could count these situations on one hand. They only happen in really small races where every single vote matters.
What Makes This Different
In this Gerlach race, only 335 total votes were cast. People could vote for four candidates. That’s democracy at its most basic level – where you probably know every single person who voted and every candidate on the ballot.
“Between Carl and Seth, as a community, we have kind of an embarrassment of riches. They’re both very conscientious members of the town,” said Jason Walters, who’s lived there 20 years.
“Gerlach does not lose no matter who wins.”
Can you imagine someone saying that about a congressional race? Or a Senate election? This only happens when government is small enough that the people running it are your actual neighbors.
The Bigger Picture for Conservatives
This little card game in Nevada shows us something important. When government stays local and limited, even settling a tie becomes a community event that brings people together instead of tearing them apart. Nobody’s hiring lawyers. Nobody’s demanding recounts for months. Nobody’s claiming fraud.
Both candidates are treating this like what it is – a fair way to break a tie between two good neighbors who both want to serve their community. The town wins either way.
Maybe other communities should take note. When you keep government small and local, you can solve problems with common sense instead of complicated bureaucracy. You can laugh about drawing cards instead of fighting in court.
What Happens Next
The registrar will fan out a fresh deck Wednesday. Each man draws one card. High card wins the full term. Simple as that.
For those of us who believe in limited government and local control, this is a perfect example of why smaller is often better. Real democracy doesn’t need to be complicated. Sometimes it’s as simple as neighbors making decisions together – even if that means letting a deck of cards break the tie.
The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Nevada News & Views. This article was written with the assistance of AI. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
