HOXIE, Ark. >> A first-time political candidate in northeast Arkansas has learned a valuable civics lesson: vote early.

Cliff Farmer didn’t make it to the polls in time to vote Tuesday, and his race for a Hoxie City Council seat ended up as a tie.

The Jonesboro Sun reports Farmer and his wife were returning from a work-related trip in Florida on Tuesday when their plane landed only an hour before polls closed. The plane landed in Memphis, Tennessee, which is 80 miles (130 kilometers) from Hoxie.

His wife voted early, but Farmer said he’d intended to vote after they returned. That resulted in Farmer and incumbent Alderwoman Becky Linebaugh each receiving 223 votes. Linebaugh says she voted.

A winner will be declared next week by a coin toss or another game of chance.