Alaska Senate: Conservative talk show host tries to complicate Murkowski's write-in campaign

[WI_DEM]

Reporting from Seattle — With U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski gaining momentum in a write-in bid to keep her seat, a conservative Alaska talk show host prompted listeners to engage in "civil disobedience" Thursday by mounting competing write-in candidacies across the state.

By day's end, dozens of people had flocked to the Division of Elections in Anchorage to file for the U.S. Senate seat before the 5 p.m. deadline. Many more apparently heeded KFQD host Dan Fagan's exhortation to download and fax in write-in applications in what he admitted was an attempt to confuse voters who ask for a list of certified write-in candidates before entering the ballot box.

"Looks like I'm running for the U.S. Senate," a caller told Fagan on Thursday afternoon.

"Good for you, man. I hope you win!" Fagan replied.

Fagan, who is widely popular among conservatives in Alaska, said the Division of Elections' attempt to hand out the lists prompted his decision to call on listeners to add their names.

"They've already placed this list at the polling places, and in my opinion it's illegal.... With an act of civil disobedience, we would at least weaken the attempt to help Lisa Murkowski by putting a lot of other names on there," Fagan said in an interview.

He said his show received about 150 calls Thursday afternoon from listeners saying they had registered as candidates.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-1029-alaska-senate-race-20101029,0,1539339.story

[yourout]

1. I would love it if this yo yos stunt lead to McAdams winning.

[Lasher]

5. There is a good chance it will.

Miller Tanking

Alaska is a perpetual source of political surprises, whether is it the governor being tapped to be a Vice Presidential nominee, the same governor later quitting her job midterm, an unknown lawyer beating an incumbent senator in a primary, and now this: that lawyer, tea party favorite Joe Miller (R), is now third in a new poll. Write-in candidate Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) is at 34%, Sitka mayor Scott McAdams (D) is at 29%, and Miller is at 23%.

This is a very significant development since anyone who followed the Coleman-Franken court battle in Minnesota knows that many voters aren't even capable of filling out a normal ballot correctly. When they must fill in the oval and then write in the name of the candidate in a more-or-less comprehensible way, there are going to be vast number of invalid ballots. If McAdams is second, he has a shot at winning due to many of Murkowski's votes being declared invalid. In particular, the voter must fill in the oval next to "Write in." Failure to fill in the oval will result in the write-in vote not registering on the optical scanners. The write-in votes will only be counted if the count of write-in votes is more than the leading candidate or not worse than half a percent below the winner. If the write-in votes are not counted at all, the leading candidate wins.

http://www.electoral-vote.com/

[no_hypocrisy]

2. Wouldn't a vote for Joe Miller be more effective than for a no-name write-in vote?

I don't get how this talk show host's campaign will frustrate Murkowski's efforts. She wouldn't have received the vote anyway.

[karynnj]

6. He didn't say they should vote for themselves

The difference is that there would be lists of a huge number of people with write in campaigns - rather than a presumably very short list where Lisa Murkowski's name would be prominent.

However, would it be fraud to run and not vote for yourself, given you vote. If a candidate got no votes and it is clear they voted, there is proof that they did this for another candidate, not as a serious run themselves.

[joeybee12]

3. Good...the Alaska Supreme Court, IMHO, screwed up royally letting them

post Murkowski's name there...the whole point of write-in is that you AREN'T on the ballot...this gives her an unfair advantage...willing to be if she weren't a member of Alaskas' highly influential crime family, the court would have ruled differently.

[Bitwit1234]

4. Things like this show over and over

republicans have no feelings for their country. All they want is for POS like Miller to be in office so they can screw this country. I just wish every republican running loses in November.