Ok... so the voting booths JUST closed in Alaska and......

[snowbear]

..you would not believe all the crazy things that have happened thus far!

This is the primary to select the Democratic and Republican nominees for Governor (remember, Frank Murkowski has the 2nd worst approval numbers in the nation).. and for a few other local seats.

Check out the action so far:

------------

- About 5:00 p.m.-ish, a Murkowski campaign worker was shot in the chest in front of his campaign office. He's in stable condition, and police don't believe politics are involved..
http://www.ktva.com/alaska/ci_4221123

------------

- Voters all over Anchorage are pissed off about a sticker that one Republican candidate paid to have stuck to the front page of every single issue of the Anchorage Daily News this morning. The Sarah Palin campaign paid for stickers that say "If you are undeclared or non-partisan, you MUST ask for the Republican ballot". Of course, that is NOT true! There are more Independents in Alaska than any other political party, so this is a big deal. According to some news sources, the sticker may have been illegal.

------------

- The news has been reporting all night, that all of the people standing on the street corners waiving political signs for Frank Murkowski are being PAID $$$ to do so. A candidate having to PAY for sign waivers here is a first!

------------

- And in the not-so-strange department.. Because of heavy rain, many of the roads in the Matanuska Susitna (MatSu) Valley area are closed tonight.. This is (R) Sarah Palin's district.. (I personally still think she'll win the GOP slot).. but if she doesn't for some reason, she can blame it on the weather.

------------

- A radio station had the public call in today with their Diebold and other voting experiences today, and you would NOT believe the nightmare stories! One guy watched in disbelief as an electronic voting machine worker went to work on the touch-screen machine, opening it up and tinkering with it while he waited in line. (Trust me, there were TONS of other stories like this)

------------

- For some reason, they gave you a choice between a ballot with candidates and ballot measures.. then they asked you if you wanted just a ballot with ONLY ballot measures, but no candidates. I asked them why anyone would drive all the way over to their precinct just to vote on two measly ballot measures and NO candidates. They said it was "baffling to them too"

------------

Alaska Voting Results ---> http://www.elections.state.ak.us/06prim/data/results.htm

Wish us luck!

[evlbstrd]

1. We had that weird issue ballot in the Missouri primaries.

It was baffling. But only one person selected it while I was poll watching. And most of the voters chose a Dem ballot. We have new Diebold machines, too, and most people chose the hand-marked op-scan ballot over the touch screen.

[snowbear]

2. I just can't figure out WHY on earth they would offer them???

Why two ballots??

Who in their right mind wants to vote for only the measures, and not one candidate??

Talk about a huge waste of money printing all those extra ballots... I didn't see one single person ask for the "measures only" ballot.

[MadMaddie]

3. Sounds like selective Jim Crow type events

This is why it's important not only to pursue the rights of any given minority but equal and fair rights for everyone....this corruption of the electoral system is probably the worst since the Jim Crow laws...

[Stinky The Clown]

5. Maddie, your post gave me shivers .......

" ....this corruption of the electoral system is probably the worst since the Jim Crow laws... "

I read that and the words 'this too shall pass' flashed across my brain.

How I wish I could read a history book published in 2095.

[MadMaddie]

7. Those words "this too shall pass" are haunting aren't they?

Will the history books look at this period in American history and disect it....will they label the leader in chief * the worst leader in history? will they judge American citizens....like the world judges German citizens who stood by idly while their country was being destroyed and millions were being murdered?

I am in a funk tonight....I watched the 2nd part of Spike Lees documentry and I can't believe that the governer of LA and the President were in a pissing contest while people....let me correct that American citizens were sufferring......* was patting Brownie on the back over a job well done.....

And the only reason movement happened is because Nagin lost his composure and called the US government out.....:grr:

[evlbstrd]

9. The new voter ID laws do exactly that.

The ACLU is currently fighting one in Missouri. This is truly scary shit.

[orleans]

14. great speech on election fraud at this link

http://www.oregonvrc.org/node/1071/print

[evlbstrd]

4. HAVA is why it was offered.

As to who in their right mind, I had one voter on my shift use one. I wasn't allowed to ask why.
Edit to add: The Issues Only ballot drains votes away from candidates. HAVA is evil and must be reformed or repealed.

[snowbear]

6. Thanks for the info!

When I asked the people at my precinct about it, they argued between each other trying to come up with a coherent answer..

One of them finally just said "We're not really sure, it's just our job"

But when I went behind the curtain to vote, I could hear them resuming their argument still trying to figure out what the deal was..

Sheesh.

[evlbstrd]

8. Poll workers are underpaid.

And they get a very short training period. They are, in my experience and anecdotally, elderly. Add in new machines and new procedures, and you have an election ripe for the taking. It's your elections board you need to ask.
I wasn't supposed to talk politics with the women at the precinct I watched, and they were between the ages of sixty and eighty, but they all wanted to know what I thought because I was the first poll watcher they'd had in years. I talked with them about everything from Diebold and election fraud to why I can't support Hilary Clinton and would work to draft Al Gore. All of those dedicated ladies nodded over and over.

[roguevalley]

26. that pick a repug ballot thing stinks. also, almost everyone I was

with at my precinct chose a paper ballot. no diebold choices. however, we had to put the ballot into the accuscan thing. :(

[snowbear]

10. Woweeee look at this!

The first results just started to roll in-

Republican Gubanaturial Candidates-

BINKLEY, JOHN ------- 15891 ........(30.64%)
HEIKES, GERALD L.---- 123 ..........( 0.24%)
HLATCU, MERICA ------ 102 ..........( 0.20%)
MURKOWSKI, FRANK H. - 9577 ......(18.47%) HAHA!
PALIN, SARAH H. REP - 26172 ........( 50.46%)

Democratic Gubanaturial Candidates-

BURKE, EDDIE (AI) ----- 386 (1.56%)
CROFT, ERIC ----------- 5888 (23.76%)
DeNARDO, DANIEL (AI) -- 179 (0.72%)
KNOWLES, TONY ------ 16714 (67.46%)
LEMKE, BRUCE J. ------- 324 (1.31%)
MASSIE, DAVID M. GRN ---471 (1.90%)
TOIEN, WILLIAM S. LIB -258 (1.04%)
WRIGHT, DON R. (AI) ----557 (2.25%)

[Awsi Dooger]

11. Not what I was hoping for

Palin is apparently dominating the undecideds. There wasn't any poll that gave her close to 50%.

[snowbear]

13. Don't worry about that Awsi.. Every Independent I know voted for her

..to get her into the General. She'll be a weaker fight than John Binlkley would've have been.

Knowles will ultimately win in the end, you'll see!

[skids]

15. Actually Palin is polling better than Binkley for the general.

Rasmussen. 8/3. Likely voters. MoE 4.5% (no trend lines)

Murkowski (R) 29
Knowles (D) 58

Palin (R) 51
Knowles (D) 38

Binkley (R) 46
Knowles (D) 44

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/8/22/134216/633

But keep your fingers crossed and your support flowing -- a lot can change after primary season.

[snowbear]

16. Look... Skids ---- this is Alaska !!! WE DON'T DO RASMUSSEN UP HERE!!

I'm sorry, but you're talking about the Land of the Midnight Sun.. the Last Frontier.... The Great White North.

Scott Rasmussen doesn't know JACKSHIT about Tony Knowles or Sarah Palin, and it's an insult to those in the 49th state to read such pure bunk from him.

Like Alaskans will tell you -- we have more Independents than any other political affiliation.

How could Scott Rasmussen even come close when most Independent's selected Palin just to get her on the ballot?

Does he know that?

Does he know how popular Knowles is in Alaska?

Sorry.. but I'll trust the Alaska based polls and when it comes to Alaska, I'm going to have to pass on Rassmussen's polls.

This is Alaska and that boy has NO CLUE!

[skids]

20. Hey, I'd be the last person to stick up for Rasmussen...

...but the polls were a pretty direct question -- if x and y were the opponents in the general who would you vote for?

Let's just hope it is how you say, and he grossly oversampled based on party or something.

I'm just saying don't get overconfident -- every campaign needs our effort these days.

(Independents are the biggest "party" in most states, as far as I know. They are here, though we call them "unenrolled")

[Blue_In_AK]

18. Exactly, Larissa

My husband and I were just talking about that. Independents vote for Sarah because she's the least objectionable Republican, then in November they can come back and vote for Tony. There are more independents in Alaska than anything else.

[cal04]

12. Just posted on Yahoo

Alaska governor trailing in GOP primary
Early results in Tuesday's gubernatorial primary showed incumbent Gov. Frank Murkowski trailing in his bid for the GOP nomination following a campaign in which opponents tried to blame him for the partial shutdown of the nation's largest oil field.

Former Wasilla mayor Sarah Palin was leading the three-way GOP primary with 180 of 439 precincts reporting. Palin led with 50 percent of the votes cast, followed by former state legislator John Binkley with nearly 31 percent. Murkowski was third with 18 percent.

Tony Knowles, a former two-term governor, had 67 percent of the votes in the Democratic primary. His main opponent, state Rep. Eric Croft of Anchorage was trailing with nearly 25 percent.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060823/ap_on_el_ge/primary_elections_12

[Blue_In_AK]

17. Sarah Palin has more votes than Binkley and Murkowski

combined, with more than half of precincts reporting. Unf******believable. So far Tony has 67% of the Democratic votes. This will be a very fun race to watch.

Also we just voted to reinstate the toughest campaign finance law in the country (which had been overturned by Murkowski after he came into office). Big money is out of Alaska politics.

[Blue_In_AK]

19. One other result

Diane Benson will be the Democratic candidate to challenge that pig Don Young for the U.S. House seat. She is a strong, articulate Alaska Native woman whose son lost both his legs to an IED in Iraq - AFTER he was supposed to have been sent home (stop loss). I think she is an excellent candidate, and I hope she gets national support.

[Broken_Hero]

23. what tribe is she?

She sounds like a very good canidate, and Don Young...bleh...:P

[Blue_In_AK]

25. I believe she's Tlingit...

From your neck of the woods. :)

[Broken_Hero]

27. oh,Tlingets..

whew, she looks pretty...smokin...:P Seen some pictures of her in the AK forum...:)

[LaPera]

21. Alaska must have a Republican Secretary of State, or this Diebold shit

in Alaska wouldn't be happening, Alaska, unfortunately, is in the same league as Secretary of States who count the votes in states that have Republican Secretary of States like in Florida, Ohio, Georgia, etc....

THE VOTE COUNT WILL BE DISTORTED!

Just think what the Republicans & their Diebold machines are going to do in the general election in November, in Alaska and ALL over the country!

Yet, the Dem's still just refuse to acknowledge it.

[Blue_In_AK]

24. In Alaska the lieutenant governor

is in charge of elections, and the one we have now, Loren Leman, is a fundie nut case.

[d_b]

22. I voted for:

Knowles, Berkowitz, and Benson. I saw Harry Crawford standing in the rain on Boniface and N. Lights, too. Gave him a "Give 'em hell Harry" from my vehicle. :)