Alaska Senate race complicated more by Joe Miller lawsuit

The Alaska Senate race drama has just been augmented with a Joe Miller lawsuit. Miller is suing to keep the state from trying to interpret what the voter might have meant to write in the write-in candidate field. Election authorities have said that interpretations would be made only where reasonable and necessary. Miller’s lawsuit is to keep any leeway from entering the equation. The final vote count is nevertheless some time away.

Filing a lawsuit before counting the Alaska Senate race vote

The Federal court has already received an injunction filed by Joe Miller. The Alaska Senate race hasn't even had the final vote count yet. Miller and Lisa Murkowski are the only candidates within the race. She is a write in candidate and also the incumbent. Miller’s suit concerns Alaskan election law, as outlined by USA Today. The current law in Alaska is that an oval, indicating the choice of a write-in candidate, has to be filled in, and also the name has to be written. The last name of the candidate, or the name of the candidate as it appears on the ballot has to be written. The booth has to display official write-in candidate names. Any voter intent is something he wants cut.

Reminding of an additional case

Bush v. Gore is a Supreme Court case Miller talks about. This is the case that the 2000 election decided. Joe Miller, the Tea Party darling with the Sarah Palin endorsement, is alleging that the law in Alaska mandates names of candidates be spelled correctly. However, according to the Washington Post, Alaskan officials insist some room for interpretation exists, in that misspellings are acceptable if there is a clear intention of which candidate the voter was casting a ballot for.

Final countdown

Within the 2010 election, many have been watching the final vote count in the Alaska Senate to view what happens. If Murkowksi wins, Sarah Palin's home state may be upset with all of the Tea Party people in it. She will also make history on being a write-in candidate. There hasn't been another one since Strom Thurmond in 1954.

Articles cited

Washington Post

washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/09/AR2010110907061.html?wprss=rss_print

USA Today

content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2010/11/joe-miller-alaska-senate-lisa-murkowski-/1