Why Joe Miller Has a Point - from Shannyn Moore

[Blue_In_AK]

http://www.themudflats.net/2010/11/17/why-joe-miller-has-a-point/

Something in Alaska stinks. Again. Not just an ordinary low tide smell. Not like something you’d blame on the dog. It smells like an infection. For me to plug my nose, I’d have to overlook some curious facts.

I’ve written another piece like this. It was after the last election. I said it the three elections before that. In the words of baseball great Yogi Berra, it’s Déjà vu all over again! I’m writing and talking about the same thing, in what has become an even-year ritual: Alaska doesn’t count votes properly and hasn’t for years. Alaska still uses the Diebold Accuvote Optical Scanners. The same Diebold machines California “decertified” because of the “Deck Zero” anomaly after the company admitted the software error plagues all versions of their paper ballot op-scan systems, deleting the first batch of scanned ballots under certain circumstances without alerting elections officials to the deletion.

I’m not a Joe Miller fan. My “horse” is out of the US Senate race in Alaska. It’s not about any candidate. But has everything to do with my candidate, Scott McAdams’ slogan: “It’s about Alaska!” Specifically, it’s about the bedrock of election integrity. If democracy were a religion, voting would be the sacrament. It’s poisoned.

Here’s some history:

<snip>

Lisa Murkowski’s campaign, funded by millions of dollars from corporate sugar daddies, will no doubt prevail. The Alaska DOE counted “Lesa Murcowshit” as a vote for Murkowski. I’m pretty sure that wasn’t the voter’s intent. Joe Miller has been criticized and mocked for challenging write-in votes. What he should be doing - and demanding - is a full scale election audit and reconciliation of every vote cast and every ballot not cast.

Some Alaskans will be bitter regardless of the outcome.

My point isn’t about either one of them.

It’s About Alaska.

And why I hope Joe Miller fights this all the way to the Supreme Court if he has to.

[Tatiana]

1. I'm finding it hard to believe that many independents and Dems voted for Lisa.

I mean, maybe they did. But it seems odd.

[Blue_In_AK]

3. The thing that was hard for me to believe

was that voter turn-out allegedly was very low, lower than normal, even though there was a huge amount of excitement about this election in all three camps and reports on election day were that the precincts were all very busy. It just doesn't make sense.

<snip>

Despite heavy national media coverage and historic Citizens United money spent on Alaska’s hotly contested and much-watched three-way US Senate race, the results, if we are to believe them, were a surprisingly low voter turnout. In fact, this election was one of the lowest turnouts since they started tracking ballots cast versus registered voters in the mid-1970s.

It’s strange that Anchorage appearances by both Rachel Maddow and Glenn Beck covering the high profile race had such a chilling effect on voters. It’s curious that the forgotten gubernatorial race, reportedly, had several hundred more votes recorded than the attention-grabbing U.S. Senate race. Furthermore, as returns from around the state poured in on election night, the percentages between candidates in statewide races never changed throughout the evening-despite Juneau, for instance, being ideologically opposite of Wasilla.

<snip>

[Arctic Dave]

2. I totally agree.

If Joe the idiot could do one good thing for this State, other then leave, I hope it's helping get rid of Diebold machines.

[LostInAnomie]

4. I just want him to drag it out as long as possible.

Drain Repuke coffers and keep one more of them from hanging around DC for a little bit.

[xultar]

5. So that is why the GOP wants him to concede so quickly

[Canuckistanian]

6. Interesting

I agree Miller should fight this to the end.

For Alaska AND for fair voting.

And of course, to shorten any time a conservative has in power.

[eridani]

7. In WA sSate, misspelling does NOT invalidate voter intent

For candidate Thomas Smith, Tom Smith, Tomas Smith, Tommy Smith and Tom Smythe are all valid votes according to our election observers' guide.