E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
JUNEAU, AK -- The ballots are arriving now.
Per Gail Fenumiai of the Division of Elections, counting of the write-in ballots in the still-undecided Senate race between GOP nominee Joe Miller and write-in candidate Lisa Murkowski will get underway, despite the lawsuit filed by the Miller camp to halt counting until stiffer guidelines are established for determining which votes are valid.
According to Alaska election law, the write-in oval must be filled in, and either a candidate's last name or the candidate's name as it appears on the candidacy declaration must appear on the ballot as well. Election officials have said they will determine voter intent to decide whether a ballot is valid. Fenumiai says there is nothing in state law that specifically references voter intent -- but there have been precedents in case law in which voter intent has been used as the standard. Miller's camp says Alaska election law should be followed to the word, and therefore misspellings (like "Murkoski" instead of "Murkowski") should not be allowed.
Fenumiai also says there are 40 districts that need to be counted in total. She is hoping the counting teams (15 teams of two) will each get through an entire district today -- one precinct at a time.
Leave a Comment:
Here's hoping Lisa wins this!
Nothing would be sweeter than sending the palinbot packing...
So Sarah... how's that Mama Grizzly thingy working out for ya now?
Bible Spices ego has far exceeded the size of her granny panties!
As long as Bristol is still on Dancing with the Stars. its a win for us no matter what...
Joe Miller is so desperate he wants to win via misspellings. Now I believe all the bad things I've heard about him.
This is as much about Grama Grizzly as it is Joe Miller!
Someone hand Bible Spice a napkin so she can wipe the egg off her face! lol
Dang, Feisty-
We're in rare agreement!
I hope a conservative wins the contested Alaska Senate seat as well!
Call me crazy, but I was certain you'd be pulling for the Democrat...
Lisa's just fine with me, too.
Why does it come as no surprise Steve - that you're a 50 year old single man who gets off on watching a half naked teenage girl on Dancing With the Stars?
Feisty, this is All about Sarah. If her candidate Miller loses, then her carrying Alaska is in Jeopardy, in 2012. Thats why her lawyers are doing the heavy lifting for Miller.
Egg on her face is the Correct anaolgy!
Me & IR will be having Breakfast friday morning, so if your ears start burning, it's just Us! LOL!
AWWWW! I want to come! *pouts* :0(
Hope you two enjoy and I'll be there in spirit!
He did win. Joe beat Lisa in the Primary. Isn't that what the people in Alaska voted for? She is the poor loser. Everyone on here is getting mad and saying that Joe is not abiding by the way Alaskans voted. It looks to me like Ms. "This is my Senate Seat" is the one that did not listen to the voters after the Primary. She lost, he won.
I guess Strom Thurman felt the sameway in SC back when he got Elected, as a WriteIn candidate!
Its my Seat!
Someone call the Waaaaaaaaaaambulance!
Interesting about the misspelling angle, in my precinct we had a write in for Governor, I think he was a Green party candidate. He couldn't get on the Texas ballot but was able to convince a judge that he had the credentials and signatures to be a choice. We had to tape his name and party affiliation to each individual voter booth for reference. There would be no way to mispell the guy's name.
I'm interested to see if that was the case in Alaska. Whatever the case, I think Miller is stooping pretty low to want to exclude mispellings. I say as long as it is close to "Murkowski" one or two letters shouldn't disqualify the vote.
Interpretation: The guy I like won the Republican primary so to heck with Democracy. I don't care who actually got the most votes and I can't be bothered by any of that silly democratic process. I just want my favorite candidate to be seated.
Oh, but never mind about the law???
Ya gotta loveit, The Teaparty folks are voteing for Bristol on DWTS & the Republican insiders are getting ready to Force Sarah into Not Running in 2012.
Oh the Irony, you can get me to the dance, but once we're there the Trains a leaving!
Tell Arnold to stop Bogarting, this is gonna be downright HILARIOUS!
Pop some Popcorn Feisty, we're gonna need some Munchies!
Kinda funny watching when the left doesn't even have a player in the game and their best option is to fight for Republican rejects.
Hilarious when their ex President goes to Florida to tell the Dem candidate to not run so another Republican reject has a chance - Repub wins big anyway.
Dems talk about the hate on the right, about how Dems vote their principles, values and beliefs.........................
But, turns out - it is really your hatred (for Repubs/Tea Party)
Priceless.
Lisa is a selfish egomaniac; if she had any grace at all she wouldn't have run after she lost the primary.
In any Event Feisty. She looks better no matter how she is dressed then you do .. and I am not 50.. nor am i single.
You didn't really just GO THERE did you Steve? While I search for the comment you made earlier to confirm my observation....
Let me just say that if you're a grown man as you claim to be... you're still NO BETTER than a pedophile for panting over a half naked teenager!
Happy whacking my friend! ;0)
Hey bob, seeing as how you didn't mind denying voters their right to be counted in Florida in 2000, it hardly surprises me when you look further to muckrake, even when there's no muck for you to rake. You have no problem denying other people the right to have their vote counted, do you?
Please do Feisty.
It will be shown that you are a LIAR assuming my age when i never stated it. this is the problem with you liberals . You take something someone says. Twist it to fit what you want it to say. then repeat it as Truth..
SO Feisty. I challenge you LIAR. show any post where i said i was 50.. YOU ARE A PATHETIC and see i never said i was panting over anyone but i understand that you feel the need to throw that in their to make yourself feel Better.. All i said was. HEY did you see that Bristol was still on Dancing with the Stars.. That upsets you so much that you feel the need to attack me.. I find it funny that your Mind would even go there.. Pathetic..
Vicki-Texas
I guess somebody needs to point out to you that cry-baby Joe won the GOP primary. That is not the general election where every voter has a say. I'm an independent who is so sick of the GOP's manipulation of the electorate that I am now a proud Democrat and quite happy to see Sarah's chance of impacting the national dialogue much less of ever winning anything but a popularity contest with some older angry white voters paling. By the way I am an older angry white voter, but I am angry at idiots like you who actually believe the GOP has your best interests at heart. LMAO
Lisa is bad loser and could have in a different election thrown the seat to the democrat. Not a team player and well let's just say a RINO to boot!
So many haters saying Murkowski should have bowed out. I guess the people of Alaska will have the final say after all.
Da Noid: True, true. What people don't seem to realize is that the people in Alaska have voted and they seem to want Murkowski, or they wouldn't need to count the write in ballots.
RINO: I don't get it. I am a fiscally conservative registered Republican who is not Christian. I believe that the appropriate smallness of government means that local governments should not be advocating for a particular religion-If I wanted that I would move to Israel. I also can't support amateurs of inferior intellect and irrelevant experience in state or national seats. Apparently my non-Christian nature and my insistence on a relevant resume now disqualifies me as a Republican?
For all of you above who do not know much about Alaska politics: 65% of the people voted against Joe Miller. Mukowski ran because there was a huge outpouring of support from all over the state for her to do so. I mean HUGE. I voted Democrat, but I watched this movement unfold. Please note that Alaska is a very large piece of real estate, and many people live in areas where they could not vote in the primary. The general election is the vote that counts. I was hopeful she would not run as that would have paved the way clear for McAdams, the Democrat. People here know what kind of schyster and crook Joe Miller is. He does not have any concern at all for what the voters want or for what is best for Alaska. He is a hypocrite, a bully, and a flat out liar.
Miller is using a transparant trick to "win" the election. His lawyers are challenging nearly every vote, including write ins that are picture perfect. Murkowski is still ahead, and she will win the final tally, eventually, after Miller has exhausted all of his rediculous and time consuming law suites that are costing gobs of tax payer money. If he truly had the best interests of Alaska in mind he would step aside and save the state a pile of money.
Don't think Palin has great support in Alaska, because she does not. Are any of you aware that she spent about 15 minutes in the state supporting Miller? She attended one rally for him, in Anchorage, which about 350 attended, and she spent the majority of time talking about herself and the tea party. Corruption allegations aside, she quit her job as governor, and the voters here will not forgive and forget that transgression. I read several posts on many "vines" that assume Alaska supports Palin. You couldn't be more wrong.
If the voting citizens vote for Murkowski then they have spoken and Joe Wilson who wants less government interaction should abide by what the PEOPLE want. It sounds like he is already trying to manipulate the election to favor him!! I really think that if the PEOPLE of Alaska write Murkowski then that IS their choice!! Why is it the Tea Party talks about freedom and choice but when the PEOPLE actually speak the TEA Party runs to the government to block what the people want?
Joe MILLER, not Joe Wilson. And he has been manipulating the election process at every opportunity from the git-go. He has "private security" with him all the time - I am not sure if he is just a paranoid personality or if he is that impressed with himself that he thinks people give a crap. He is a bully with no regard for any of our rights and freedoms. He would have government dictate every movement we make in our private lives, while giving our government away to Wall St. and mega corporations.
the above comment... Maybe Lisa can run again and again and again until she wins.. What a loser from the start.. Calling people stupid for not voting for her the first time she losed.
If the voters vote for her who is Joe Miller to go against their wishes???? If she doesn't win then she should go away because the voters have made their choice!! I think Joe is a soar loser if the people of Ak voted for her over him but he STILL tries to force the election his way!!! It's NOT what JOE Miller wants its what the PEOPLE of Ak want and vote for. but then again republicans often try to sway elections against what the voters want anyone remember Gore vs Bush, the SCOTUS decided what the voters wanted instead of letting the recount stand!! Republicans are sore losers!! For heaven sakes many of them are STILL being sore losers over the South losing to the North!!!
Do you realize that the recounts showed that Bush won the election in Florida?
Ummm Teresa Hon.... Do YOU realize the recount was never finalized thanks to the activist judges on the SCOTUS who ORDERED it STOPPED?
*sheesh*
Teresa: They are not doing a recount, they are counting the write in ballots.
Feisty Redhead Roselle, IL
Ummm Fiesty Hon........Do YOU realize the recount was finalized and noted by the New York Times in 2001
that, and I quote "a Bush victory by the tiniest of margins"
"FINALIZED" doesn't mean that all the votes were counted. SCOTUS ruled that the recount would go no further.
FINALIZED by definition - To put into final form; complete or conclude - After the supreme court ruled on this independent news organisations got together and counted the ballots that where in question. Bush Won. - You may not have liked the outcome - but it does not change the facts.
Simply not true, BOB. Read Greg Palast. Get informed.
Joe Miller is nothing more than wind-up action figure. His security detail kidnapped and held against his will a member of the media. This is outrageous. A defeat would send a loud clear unmistakable message to Sarah The Quitter and thats OK with me.
Joe Miller insisting that voters HAVE to know how to spell correctly? Anyone else see the irony in that? Ever seen some of the signs at a Tea Party Rally?
I've got some good ones... take a peek at these little gems!
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fpoliticalhumor.about.com%2Flibrary%2Fbl-tea-party-signs.htm&h=8d402
I laughed so hard I woke my hubby up from his nap! Some were even better the second time around! lmao
These ignorant tea baggers can't even properly spell what it is they are SO against!
I'm actually going to throw in with the lefties on this one. Miller is wrong. Voter intent shouldn't be all that hard to figure out. Unless of course there's a Merkawski and a Murkawski on the write in potentials list, then it becomes a challenge, but by eliminating close but not quite spellings, you are, in fact, disenfranchising voters. Bad Joe!
Just looking at the people in the pics should be enough to make anyone laugh at the Tea Party, But the signs are HILARIOUS!!!!!!!
Folkks who live in Montana need to stay in Montana. Lisa needs to be held to the standard of the Election Law instead of a partisan group deciding to INTERPRET the law the way they see fit. How dare you attack Tea Party Folks and infer they are stupid, as the ONLY stupid folks here all voted for Obama, now look at what it's costing us. We need to fire all the policticians in Washington and start over which includes all the Republicans and Democrats who DON'T ENFORCE THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE WHO ELECTED THEM..... Shame on you Honest in Montana. You must be a Democrap......
What party would you be referring to when you say "partisan"? Also, there is a precedent of case law. The justice system could not operate without case law.
BP,
Yours is the first intelligent comment I've read here today. The Dems seem appear to be sore losers since the election. Why is that? They’ve still got Odumo, the senate, and almost all of the media to tell them what to think and do? Why are they not satisfied with having control of most of the government, not having to work, and all the free money socialist programs? Are their elected officials not stealing enough for them? Would they like some more of everyone else’s wealth? Get a haircut. Get a job.
But back to this Murkowski person; judging from the size of her Democratic following, she definitely fits the description of a RINO. Why doesn't she run as a Democrat/Socialist and be honest about it? And she's not the only one. Maine seems to be a gathering place for them also.
Anyway, glad to see everybody's still here. Can't wait for the next two years of liberal Tea Bashing and other senseless liberal banter.
Cheers.
classic Tea Party!!! - The 'partisan group' you're referring to Pa, is the courts. It's their friggin' JOB to interpret the law, and once they do, their interpretations ARE the Law!
JUST since last Tuesday - Unemployment to it's lowest level since W.; employment up again this week; manufacturing output up again this month; exports up. Get REALLY used to good economic news for the next two years, because everything Obama's done so far is working! (It takes longer than 2 years to dig us out of the hole you Repub's put us in for the last decade - but not longer than 4!!!)
Michelle for America 2016 !!!
Hey BigPa, do you know what Jim Crow is? Shame on you!!!! The ability to read, write or spell is not a factor in a citizen's right to cast his or her vote. Remember it was just the Rebublicans of Alaska who elected Joe Miller in the primary. Obviously between then and the election, when citizens of all parties cast their vote, the smarter people realized he was not what he had pretended to be and was not qualified to be Senator. The intent of the electorate is more important than a single voters spelling skills.
If Democrats do absolutely NOTHING for the next 2 years besides ignore Republicans Obama will be a shoe in for re-election, Across the board unemployment is down, stocks are up, America's "face" has been wiped clean of the Bush stains and we are getting back the international respect we had when he went into office
GO-Bama!!!!!
BigPa, the Obama Administration may not be "enforcing the will of" YOU, but I feel quite adequately represented, thank you. I am One of the People, as are others of the majority who voted Democrat. Republicans and all uber-conservatives are not the only "people" in this country. I have asked before and am asking again, anyone who uses any words that suggest you speak for all people, STOP IT!!! You do NOT speak for all of us! you speak for yourself, I speak for myself, etc.... we may agree, we may disagree, we may agree to disagree, but no one person speaks for anyone else.
Certainly not for everybody. Yet the RE-peat-the-lie-to-the-PUBLIC-ans constantly use the phrase, "The American People", as if the only people who are *really American* support the REPUGS, the rest of us aren't "real" americans, we're just visiting until they run us out of the country or kill us off.
Bo, unemployment is down? Where? India? Unemployment is at an all time high, and they're only reporting it at half of what it really is.
Hail Odumo. He's going to save us all.
Simple misspellings are reasonable to include as votes. If Miller were spelled "Myliere," you know he would want the same.
go lisa go and let's get rid of this idiotic teabagger movement once and for all !!!
Can you spell, "BAD LOOSER" Guess they can't in Alaska. Many courtshave already stated it's the intent of the voter not the speeeeling of the name that counts.
While I agree, I'm actually hoping that a good chunk of the write ins are for Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck since I think the poor loser in this case is Murkowski. The victory cheering followed by a crushing defeat would be fun to watch!
So is it just that you folks want to force your choice on the people of Alaska??? If they choose Miller, fine, if they choose Murkowski, fine, it's THEIR state!! Just like someone point out earlier, Miller won the primary with only repbulicans voters maybe independents and some Dems would pick Murkowski!!! OR are you that desperate that you sitting in a different state would force YOUR choices on the people in a different state??? I thought the TEA PARTY was for STATES rights?? I guess that is ONLY when the state votes the way you want it to. If it doesn't then your ALL for the government intervening!! Big government when you want to force your values on someone else small government when you get your way!!
This is WHY I would NEVER vote for the TEA PARTY!! The are the most OPPRESSIVE movement since the Christian Crusaudes!!
Where, exactly, did you get that from? Will of the people is what counts. The people of Alaska because it's their senate seat in question. But I still think it would be funny if Murkowski doesn't win the popular vote in the end because the write in ballots she's banking on as all hers don't go that way in the end. If the RINO wins in the end, then the people of Alaska have spoken. At least she'll vote with the republicans some of the time which to me is still better than a democrat taking over the seat.
Blue.
Although I am not a Tea Party supporter I must say that the Tea Party movement is not the most oppressive movement since the Crusades. Don't be ridiculous. Thanks.
Unfortunately if they did vote for Mickey Mouse, because it does start with an M, it's obvious that the voter's intent was to vote for Murkowski.
see...this is why stupid people shoudn't run for public office.
What Joe-"couldn't get into law school if he blew the dean"-Miller fails to understand is that, for Alaska election law to "...be followed to the word...", THAT NECCESARILY MEANS "precedents in case law" included.
ATTENTION TEA-PARTY: Case law IS LAW. It's part of how the founders set it up. You know - the founders ?!? That group of guys a couple hundred years ago that y'all like to blather on about, BUT DON'T UNDERSTAND ?!?
Scalia would do well to also note the above criticism...
I am sure Joe Miller will take all the misspelt ones for himself... he is that kind of a cat!!
 The agony of defeat can sometime claim someone good judgement. Miller should not prolong the pain and suffering for himself and his supporters, he should accept defeat, congratule Senator Murkowski and move on.
I'm with the red-head. I was in Washington DC on September 12, 2009 when the Tea-baggers showed up in all their ignorance, rudeness, and stupidity. Those folks had to be the most un-educated and ignorant collection of bigots and racists I've ever seen.
I was stationed in Washington in the late sixties when "Resurrection City" was built on the National Mall, and I can tell you from direct first-hand experience that the people who inhabited the "City" were far more aware, better-informed, and more willing to listen than the sorry-a$$ed Tea-baggers who arrived some forty years later.
Go figure!
This is a prime example of the need for people to pay closer attention to who is running in the primaries and voice their wishes THEN. This mid term election has had more than enough kooks running and actually WINNING their primaries.
How dare anyone infer that tea baggers are stupid? Very next sentence: only stupid folks here all voted for Obama? Wow...it's hard to explain to someone who, obviously, doesn't see the irony of this statement.
At any rate, voters need to invest a little more time and gain more knowledge of who they are really voting for before casting that ballot.
Remember, primaries are partisan elections; Republicans vote for the Republican candidate of their choice and Democrats vote for the Democratic candidate of their choice. It was just Republicans who voted for Joe Miller in the primary. In the actual election, ALL parties got to choose and there were enough intelligent voters to know that Joe Miller was just Sarah Palin's puppet.
Between Miller winning the primary and Miller probably losing to Murkowski is "voter's remorse". Some sensible and understandably frustrated Alaskans bought the cry for "Change" and voted him into at the Primary. It took a few months to realize how unqualified he is to be a Senator. Same as O'Donnell and Angel but in those cases there was no ready normal Republican able to make a come back.
The great thing about wanting to run for office is that almost anybody can. Dan Fagan's attempt to foul this up by encouraging his listeners to go register for a write-in campaign is proof of this.
Miller supporters who wrote Joe Miller's name in the blank to vote for him are null and void as he was not on the register for a write-in campaign so good-bye to all those votes. Real bright.
For him to claim that misspelling Lisa Murkowski on the ballot was a 'voter protest' is a pathetic attempt at best to thwart the election. Rather than a voter protest it would seem wiser to just vote for who you want and not 'mispell' a name. Get over it Joe.
<p></p>Precedent has already been set in Alaska law proceedings that say intent does count. Were Lawyer Joe to be in court on the other side, he'd be quoting those precedents. He's stuck with what his lawyer buddies have already done to Alaska law.
I'd like to note that the heads of the national Republican party have been very quiet about this and have not come out backing either Joe or Lisa. They have not yet removed her from any committees either. Hedging their bets or maybe not so happy with the idea of amateur politician Joe in DC?
Just an appropriate quote I like: "American public opinion is like an ocean, it cannot be stirred by a TEAspoon." H. Humphrey
(Caps emphasis is my own.)
Remember, Lisa is still the Senator until January.
Well, after all, she is still Senator Murkowski from Alaska until January 20, 2011.
vicki - the general is the only election that really matters. In the primary, only republicans can vote for republican candidates. In the general election, some republican probably changed their mind, and I'm sure Lisa picked up some democratic votes.
Joe was already proved to be a liar, and there is little difference between a liar and a thief. Who is surprised he and his lawyers will do anything in their power to steal the election?
Miller's playing the spelling game lacks a certain amount of integrity and character. There have been precendents in courts siding with voter intent, to the point that he will almost surely lose the suit.
Joe is representing the core values of his party, the are rogues-noun 1. a dishonest, knavish person; scoundrel. They by their own definition are liars, cheaters and theives!!
Why any person with an ounce of morals would EVER vote for someone who proudly calls themselves a ROGUE is simply beyond me!! Rogues are people you find in jail!! Not a role model for the next generation. But look at whom the TEA Party puts up as the best and brighest, Sarah Palin who QUIT the governorship of Alaska to cash in on her fame, or Joe "take the subsidy/ then complain about government waste!" Miller!!
The whole voting count in AK is going to provide one thing, a Republican victory. I personally don't care which one wins since they are both republicans and will vote with the republicans. The only thing I head from the left wingers is maybe they can say something nasty about Sarah Palin if Joe Miller looses. I really guess the lefty's don't care that a democrat lost the race but only that a republican that doesn't especially like Palin won. Don't make much sense to me that the liberals are making this election about Palin and she isn't even running for anything. BTW, she will not run for President in 2012, and you can take that to the bank.
There sure seems to be a bunch of angry lefties blogging today, must still be in shock from the worst butt whipping in over sixty years. I can assure you that the Tea Party will continue to pick up steam just as long as they have Dirty Harry, Stretch Polosi, and Odumbo to kick around. I understand Polosi is throwing a big party today to celebrate all the Democrat successes over the last two years, I'm not sure this is the ideal message to send to the American voters.
Sure, OK, right. The Tea Party let off plenty of steam running extremists and proposing evangelical state constitutional amendments and propositions. That lost them control of the Senate and several governor's offices by mobilizing liberals and moderates who treasure their civil liberties. Good luck with that strategy. Keep pushing it.
The Tea Party likes to use two phrases: "We the People" and "common sense." Well, a write-in vote is definitely "we the people", and common sense demands that an obvious misspelling should count. Miller is exposing his own hypocrisy.
Joe Miller has decided if he loses this will stay in court for months ..... I bet this is what is best for his state...:)
I hope the voters have kicked him and Queen Palin to the curb.
If this goes to court Miller should have to pay out of his pocket and NOT the tax payers of Alaska!!
He or the Republicans are paying the lawyers.... but the cost of the courts and the states cost defending how the votes were counted will be on the state..as well as the cost of endless recounts...... sadly.