I hate making accusations that are unprovable, but what the razor thin victories may signify is voter fraud.
The party that senses defeat guesses the size of the deficit. Then they know how many votes to steal. Since stealing votes is risky -- one can get caught, they try not to overdo it. Hence the close vote tallies.
I wrote earlier...that the odds of a tie were astronomical...implying "cheating".
And especially interesting that it came down to a "defective" ballot....a "chad"....by any other name.