Alaska voter turnout may set a record

[cal04]

OVER 320,000: Eyebrows were raised with early tally, but nearly a third of ballots counted after Nov. 4.
http://www.adn.com/election/story/591659.html

Alaska voter turnout for this year's election appears now on track to be the highest ever.

That's contrary to hand-wringing about why Alaskans didn't show up for this historic election, and even some speculation that ballots weren't being counted.

"I think people were premature to jump to conclusions that voter turnout was very low. It's apparent that a large number of people in this state chose to vote absentee versus in person on Election Day," said Gail Fenumiai, state elections division director.

The state will count the final absentee and questioned ballots Tuesday -- about 24,000 of them. Even if a third of the questioned ballots are disqualified, that will put the turnout above 320,000, the most Alaskans who have ever voted.

(snip)
This year's turnout looked far smaller in the immediate aftermath of Election Day -- potentially lower than the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections.

(snip)
The Huffington Post, one of the most popular liberal Web sites in the country, posed the question "Stolen Election From Alaska?" and said something stinks at the state Division of Elections. National newspaper Web sites and TV talk shows questioned what happened. A Daily News headline called the turnout puzzling, and Anchorage pollster Moore suggested that "something smells fishy," although he said it was premature to suggest conduct of the election was suspect.

[fudge stripe cookays]

1. Yay!

This makes me feel better.

When anyone asked me why I wasn't going to absentee vote, THIS is why. I wanted to give the fuckers less time to let my vote just "disappear."

[MichellesBFF]

2. Alaska question

Can someone tell me why they get 3 electoral votes? NYS turned out more than 2x that for each of our electoral votes....

[Suji to Seoul]

3. 2 Senators + 1 at-large Congressman = 3 electoral votes

That's the Constitution.

[zbdent]

4. make their welfare check (the bribe from the oil companies)

hinge on whether or not they voted ...

[Winterblues]

5. Begich need six hundred more votes and it is a lock

There is an automatic recount if there is less than .05% difference between the two candidates. If Begich gets another six hundred votes he will be beyond that threshhold, as he already has over a thousand vote lead right now and still thirty thousand ballots yet to be counted...