So, if Murkowski’s voters put Tsibaka as their second choice, and Tsibaka’s voters put Murkowski as their second choice, wouldn’t that make it a tie?
No. The only second-choice votes that are counted are from the voters who had the eliminated candidate as their first choice. Since Democrat Pat Chesbro has now been eliminated, whichever one (Murkowski or Tshibaka) his voters said was their second choice now gets those votes.