TAOS — Incumbent town of Taos Judge Richard "Dickie" Chavez won reelection by a literal coin flip Wednesday.

The coin toss, which was conducted by 8th Judicial District Court Judge Emilio Chavez in his courtroom, followed an automatic recount of write-in ballots for the judge's race. The Dec. 2 recount of the November election results resulted in a tie with 276 votes each for challenger Eddie Lucero and Richard Chavez, with 39 for Mitch Miller.

"The recount was triggered by the number of votes received," Anna Martinez, Taos County chief deputy clerk, told The Taos News . Races decided by a margin of five or fewer votes between two candidates undergo an automatic recount; Lucero was three votes ahead of Richard Chavez in the prior tally.

According to state statute, a tie vote results i

See Full Page