Posted on 11/13/2010 11:12:40 PM PST by SeattleBruce
Incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski is closing in on the total number of votes cast for Joe Miller on Election Day. While it's believed the lion's share of votes for write-in candidates will go to Murkowski -- a suspicion the ongoing count has thus far proved -- the ballots must be looked at and assessed to know for sure. But with 84 percent of the more than 98,000 write-in ballots cast on election night already evaluated, Murkowski appears to be within striking distance of a win.
--snip--
But -- and there are always "buts" -- there are still thousands other votes yet to be tallied (at least 8,800 absentee votes plus more to be tallied from overseas) which could skew in Miller's favor, and if the difference between Miller and Murkowski is 1,246 or fewer votes -- 0.5 percent of all votes cast -- the election outcome will be close enough to trigger a state-funded recount. Not to mention Miller has launched a series of legal questions about whether less-than-perfect votes -- those with misspellings -- should count. He says no, Murkwoski says yes, and the court fight could become much higher stakes if it is challenged ballots on which the election will be decided. Also, more recently Miller has lodged allegations of possible fraud, and he's seeking voter registries to verify that the number of votes from certain areas didn't exceed the number of legally registered voters and to assess whether voters filled out their own ballots.
(Excerpt) Read more at alaskadispatch.com ...
Murk's camp says it's over, but there are thousands of absentee ballots and perhaps 10,000+ military/overseas ballots (does anyone know if they count those all at once?)
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/40134814/ns/politics-decision_2010/
“JUNEAU, Alaska — GOP nominee Joe Miller won’t spend a lot of time, energy and effort fighting over ballots in Alaska’s still-undecided Senate race if the math doesn’t add up in his favor, he said Saturday.
But Miller said he won’t make any announcements about the write-in campaign of incumbent Lisa Murkowski until after absentee ballots come in next week from military voters, a constituency that the Army veteran believes could go heavily for him.
“I think to call the race, to say that their vote doesn’t matter, to forget about counting their votes, I think that’s an inappropriate approach,” he said Saturday.”
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Can someone, anyone tell me whether they’ve been counting military ballots all along and there are just a few thousand late ones to count, or if they count all 10,000+ (there were 13,000+ in 2008) of them all at once.
I’ve seen no definitive word on this from any source.
That was my question when I went to your thread. I would think that out of 10-14K absentee ballots 80% would go to Miller.
If you voted absentee, did you have any way to vote for Murkowski?
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/11/13/1924113/murkowski-all-but-certain-to-win.html
Murkowski campaign manager Kevin Sweeney said he likes the results of the count but doesn’t plan on declaring victory until at least next week. “I think it’s fair to Alaskan voters for every vote to be counted before one side claims victory,” Sweeney said.
All absentee ballots had to be postmarked by Election Day but have until Nov. 17 to arrive from overseas.
+++++++++++++++++
The more I read about this, it appears that around 8,000 absentee ballots have yet to be counted - with more arriving next week through Wed. I would think that most of the late arriving ballots are military and that many of them will go for Miller, an army veteran.
That said - if percentages hold, murk will be up by say 1,500 uncontested write-ins, to Miller’s current vote count - meaning if he bests her in the remaining absentees - lets just say there are 10,000 total of them, by next Wed., then the race would be essentially tied with uncontested ballots.
Let’s say it’s 6000 to 4000 Miller - then he’s up by 500, and if it’s 7000 to 3000 then he’d be up by say 2,500 votes.
Then he’d just need to win 75% of his court challenged votes (let’s say there are around 10,000 of them) to still win this race.
OK, it seems a long shot - but if the uphold AK election law, it could still happen. If they don’t, which we’ve all suspected they wouldn’t perhaps, then he’d lose.
Too bad it’s this close for the Liar Lisa.
“If you voted absentee, did you have any way to vote for Murkowski?”
I think you could write Murk in, but check this out:
http://www.freerepublic.ucom/focus/news/2624667/posts?page=15#15
Sundayjack:
“This is going to sound crazy, but I’d like to hear from someone in the military who voted in Alaska to see what the ballot looked like. My brother, stationed last in Alaska, but now serving in Iraq, voted by Alaska military ballot. He told me he voted for Murkowski. When I joked about spelling her name right, he said that he didn’t have to write it out at all. He said it was printed on the ballot. I asked questions every which way to make sure he knew what he was talking about - that it was the general election and not the primary, etc. He was sure. He’s a doctor in the army medical corps, so he’s not a stupid guy. I mean, aside from the Murkowski vote, and all.
Thoughts?
Crazy?”
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1110/45084.html
“Election officials are scheduled to finish counting the final 15,000 write-in ballots Sunday – but that most likely won’t be the end of the road for either Miller or Murkowski.”
I think this is good news, with the last count Miller gained over 2,000 votes, if he gains another 2,000 with this chunk and with potentially thousands of military votes still to be counted next week until Wed. 11/17’s military/overseas ballot deadline - this race will still be decided by the contested votes.
Question for many of us - are they counting the military ballots right along - if many of these last 15,000 are military, Miller could gain more than the 2,000 he gained among the initial batch of absentees.
Of course the idiot propagandists at the Seattle Times/New York Slimes want to declare this for murky, but even her own camp doesn’t dare disenfranchise the military voters overtly.
IT AINT OVER FOLKS.
I’m not an Alaskan, but would not think so, unless space was provided on the absentee ballots for a write in. I am not even sure Murkowski had started her campaign when the absentee ballots were mailed to the military.
One thing I do know: It is high time that we guarantee that absentee ballots are mailed to the armed forces and counted in a timely manner. This crap first came to my attention in the 2000 election, was still there in the 2004 and 2008 elections, and, amazingly, has still not been rectified. This should be an addition to the TEA Party agendae.
Yes, it is crazy to think that anyone in the military voted for Murkowski over Miller.
“This should be an addition to the TEA Party agenda.”
Hear, hear.
They haven’t counted any absentee ballots as of yet, I believe the 19th is the date they are due to start that count.
Alaska must have one of the dumbest populations on the face of this earth.
Murkowski simply buys her support by promising to bring home as much pork as possible to those who support her. Bribery is one of the oldest political tools of mankind.
what is the current tally?
Were it up to me i don’t think i would allow Lisa Murkowski to caucus with the Republicans anymore, not after what she did. She is clearly a corrupt power hungry politicians that give no value to fair and honest elections.
Let her caucus with the Democrats or be without a caucus, as far as I’m concerned she is a democrat, and the last thing we need is more corrupt power hungry politicians like Lisa Murkowski who don’t honor the result of the primary after having fairly partaken in the same acting under our name.
She is unworthy of even the lowest of republican bodies the Senate Republicans.
I hope the Pork is cut off by the new congress. Too funny if the Alaskans voting for their Pork Queen find themselves out in the cold. I am for an absolute government shutdown. No increase in the debt and a debt reduction of a severe nature.
>>Alaska must have one of the dumbest populations on the face of this earth.<<
CA and DE keep sending more RATs to make matters worse. They win hands down.
SCENARIO:
LIZARDA, QUEEN OF PORKS, WINS THE SENATE SEAT IN AK.
Description:
1. Lizarda Porky Murk will go back to DC.
2. She will find out that “earmark ban/moratorium” has been approved (we pray!).
3. She will return back to Alaska. She will tell her Alaskan porky-lovers this: “NO MORE PORKY PORKY! FEDS ARE CUTTING BUDGETS! BLAME THE TEA PARTY WINNERS!”
The Establishment Republicans (both politicians and constituents) in Alaska SUCK BIG TIME!
Whatever happens, Murky must be stripped of any seniority position in the Republican Caucus of the Senate!
PAGING NRSC!
The NRSC is devoted to .... MITT ROMNEY.
Cornyn, Romney have screwed the entire GOP twice,
in 2008 and 2010 for spoiler, backstabber, Mitt Rommey.
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