Alaska counting of absentee ballots begins - Go Miller!! [Murkowski just conceded.]

Alaska Politics Blog - Anchorage Daily News ^ | August 31, 2010 | Alaska_Politics

[CedarDave]

From Sean Cockerham at the Alaska Division of Elections office in Anchorage --

Update, 11:10 a.m.: Joe Miller's lead over Lisa Murkowski narrowed from 1,668 votes to 1,325 with the first count of absentee ballots this morning.

It looks like 2,391 votes were counted in this first batch. They're from Districts 17 through 26, all Anchorage.

More numbers to come.

Read more: http://community.adn.com/adn/node/152974

[NYRepublican72]

It seems like we’ll know a bit more when the Juneau and Kenai Peninsula votes come in next.

The Alaska Daily News reports that there are about 6,000 votes to be counted today in those areas, which Murkowski won pretty handily.

There are about 3,000 votes to be counted in Fairbanks and points north.

Then they have 9,000 more or so to open on Friday or Sept. 8 as votes still trickle in.

[hattend]

When I was voting in Alaska you used a #2 pencil and colored in a circle

No chads to leave hanging

Never voted absentee so maybe there are chads involved.

[NYRepublican72]

Obviously, those are total votes. They could be cast for either the Republican or Democratic primaries.

[Drango]

Murk needs to get 60% of the next reported 6,000 votes or it’s all over.

[Eska]

I just wish I'd hear that plane fly over the place, jump in trk and head down the strip; maybe get into Fairbanks tonight.

Me really does think Joe Miller has this in the win column.

[Vicki]

They learned how to steal elections from our governor's race Gregoire vs. Rossi. Dean Logan was in charge of King County elections where boxes of ballots would suddenly appear.

Some were found in trunks of election workers. Then we had the dead voters, voters with the same address, etc. Then they sent Logan down to L.A. to "help" them out. I bet he goes all around the country lending his techniques.

To beat these 'rats you have to have a big enough margin. Anything close, forget it. That why when Dick Morris says he's comfortable with Rossi beating Murray I cringe. Yea we can do it, but I don't think he realizes what we're up against.

[truthfreedom]

Update, 2:40 p.m.:

There is a lot of anticipation at the Division of Elections for the next round of numbers to come in. Those votes will be from Southeast Alaska (where the Murkowski campaign hopes to get a big boost) and from the Kenai Peninsula. There are a lot of absentee votes in those areas to be counted today (roughly 2,000 from Southeast and 2,300 or so from the Kenai.)

There are also 1,013 questioned ballots supposed to be counted today from Southeast and 502 from the Kenai Peninsula.

Murkowski needs to do well in the Juneau-Kenai results (which are reported together.) That’s because the next and final round of results today will come from the Fairbanks area, a Joe Miller stronghold.

There are 1,768 absentees and 996 questioned ballots supposed to be counted today from the Fairbanks area.

All these numbers of ballots to be counted are somewhat of a moving target. The Division of Elections can delay the count of ballots that it plans to do today until later days.

The Division of Elections said by the end of the day it will have counted about 16,000 votes.

There are another 9,000 or so to be processed for subsequent counts on Friday and Sept. 8. But those numbers will change as new absentees come in and some ballots are disqualified. Also, not all ballots are for the Republican primary. Some will be for the Democratic primary.

[Daisyjane69]

Just got home, lady. Thanks for the pingerooni!

[onyx]

I’m waiting for Joe Miller to celebrate too, but celebrate he shall.

[onyx]

You betcha!

Lisa cut into Joe’s lead today (400 votes approx), but the counts were in her stong areas.

I remain confident.

[Psalm 144]

It will be interesting to see if Murkowski attempts to pull a kamikaze action during the general, somewhat like Scozzafava.

Lotta snakes under those “ruling class” rocks.

[StarFan]

Gives the fastest results.

Fastest? The number has changed since 5:30.

[NYRepublican72]

Murkowski should do well in the Juneau count, Miller in the Fairbanks count.

There may be about 6K out in Juneau, but a good number will be cast in the Democratic primary, instead. It’s probably 3-4K votes we’re talking about at the end of the day out of there.

[Kaosinla]

Miller, Joe REP 50241 50.65%
Murkowski, Lisa REP 48949 49.35%

Miller up by 1292

[Piranha]

Miller, Joe REP 50241 50.65%
Murkowski, Lisa REP 48949 49.35%

Lead is 1,292

[RachelFaith]

We should all remain confident.

Trust, but verify, as a Great President once said.

= )

[truthfreedom]

Miller’s in good shape if those are Juneau

[mrsmith]

I think it wouldbe impossible to bring a list of votes one wanted to challenge into the meetings and refer to it constantly. Maybe something more subtle could be done.

I seem to be wrong about the number of questionable votes. Reports mention that many of them are being counted today.
Sounds like about half, 4-5k?, will be left after today.
why some are counted and not others I don’t know. Maybe depends on the particular circumstancees of the ‘question’.

[GQuagmire]

Ack! Who is that bespectacled rodent in a pantsuit behind Stuart Smalley?

[StarFan]

FNC almost intimidated what you stated and said there may be much celebration in the Miller campaign when this is over. I hope we will know tonight!