Just how close was the race in Iowa for Democratic presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders? At least six precincts reportedly awarded their delegates after tossing a coin.
In Ames, the decision to award delegates by coin toss was made after 60 caucus participants apparently disappeared from the results, according to a report from The Des Moines Register.
"Unable to account of that numerical discrepancy and the orphan delegate it produced, the Sanders campaign challenged the results and precinct leaders called a Democratic Party hot line set up to advise on such situations," the newspaper reported.
“Party officials recommended they settle the dispute with a coin toss.”
Univision political reporter Fernando Peinado reported the "coin toss rule" was written in the caucus guide given to Democratic precinct chairs.
“In a case where two or more preference groups are tied for the loss of a delegate, a coin shall be tossed to determine who loses the delegate,” the rule said.
The rule applied in tied precincts which had an odd number of delegates to award, according to The Associated Press. The wire service reported the unusual tie-breaker was “a rare but longstanding procedure.”
In all six precincts where coin tosses were used, Clinton won an extra delegate.
By 3 a.m. EST Tuesday, the race remained tight. With 99 percent of the votes counted Clinton had 49.9 percent of the votes while Sanders followed closely behind with 49.6 percent.
Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley garnered 0.6 percent of the vote. As results started coming in, he announced he would suspend his bid for the presidency.
Meanwhile, Iowa Republicans chose Texas Sen. Ted Cruz as the clear winner of Monday's caucus with 27.7 percent of the vote. Business mogul Donald Trump came in second with 24.3 percent, while Florida Sen. Marco Rubio picked up 23.1 percent of the vote.
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee also announced he would suspend his campaign.