Lisle trustee candidates separated by single vote, while Queen Bee school board race ends in a tie

For a few candidates in DuPage County, the election isn’t quite over.

The race for the fourth and final available school board seat in Queen Bee Elementary District 16 has ended in a tie, according to results that are technically still unofficial. Merima Biacan and William Staunton each received 895 votes. Marjorie Fierro, the top-vote getter, finished with 1,044.

“For most of the people, the race was done on the first or the second of April. For me, it's still not done,” Biacan said, adding that “it was kind of nerve-wracking to live through this.”

Staunton was “quite amazed” at how many voters turned out.

“It's amazing for the community that we were able to get 895 votes. So definitely proud of that,” he said Thursday. “And from a math perspective, it's one hell of a statistical anomaly to literally land in a dead tie at the number 895.”

Once the results are officially certified next week, election authorities will notify the involved candidates of a date and time when they will break the tie, said Adam Johnson, DuPage County’s chief deputy clerk.

Under statute, the tie has to be broken by lot — a random method like a coin flip or drawing a number. The county clerk’s office is consulting with its attorney on the specific procedure that will be used.

Noting all the hard work put into the campaign, Biacan said “it’s kind of devastating to have that 50-50 chance.”

Biacan, a business manager who lives in Glendale Heights, has three kids attending schools in the district.

“So for me, it's not about the position. It's about whether I can make a difference. So the goal is to collaborate with the current administration and to obviously work together for the community and the vested interests of our children,” she said of why she ran.

Staunton, who has been a board member since 2023, said Queen Bee is in “a very good place.”

“So either way, I think Queen Bee comes out as a winner,” he said. “So I'll be disappointed if I don't get to continue my service. But I would wish her the best of luck if she won.”

A tiebreaker is not unprecedented. In Lake County, a coin flip determined the winner of a seat on the Green Oaks village board in 2011.

In Will County, Brian Wojowski and his opponent were tied before he won a lottery for a Plainfield village trustee seat in 2015.

Meanwhile, two Lisle village trustee candidates are separated by the slimmest of margins — further proof that every vote matters.

Christy McGovern, a former trustee, finished with 2,007 votes — just one more than Afaq Syed.

Candidates can ask for a partial recount once the results are certified. Then the county clerk's office would make election materials available for scrutiny to help candidates determine if there are enough voter discrepancies to seek a court order for a complete recount.

“I am looking at it. I'm looking at it closely. I'm most likely going to ask for the recount that's allowed under Illinois statute,” Syed said.

McGovern was part of the Lisle Forward slate led by newly elected Mayor Mary Jo Mullen. Syed ran as an independent. In a candidate questionnaire, he viewed the redevelopment of the Family Square property as one of the most important infrastructure projects Lisle must address. The long-vacant strip mall sits at the entrance to downtown.

“I spoke to folks from all the sides,” Syed said, “whether you are left, whether you are right, whether you are independent … a lot of them agreed with the vision I have for Lisle, the vision that we are trying to rebuild and rebuild it together.”

— Daily Herald reporter Mick Zawislak and Shaw Local contributed to this report