Miller sues to force exact spelling rule for write-in votes

[cal04]

http://www.adn.com/2010/11/09/1545716/miller-sues-to-force-exact-spelling.html

GOP Nominee Joe Miller is asking a federal judge to keep the state from using discretion in counting write-in ballots in Alaska's hotly contested Senate race.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, comes the day before election officials planned to begin counting write-in ballots that could determine the outcome of the race.

Miller's attorney, Thomas Van Flein, said the campaign is seeking a hearing on the matter as early as Wednesday afternoon.

A spokesman for the state Department of Law said he hadn't yet seen the lawsuit and couldn't immediately comment.

[NC_Nurse]

1. What a prick. It's supposed to be about voter intent, is it not? Sore loser.

[DURHAM D]

6. Agree. Clearly "intent" was the standard in Florida 2000.

Why would this be any different?

[SharonAnn]

9. Judges intent, not voters' intent, was the Florida standard. They threw out

any potential Gore votes that showed "voter intent" by any means they could. Ultimately, that meant going to the Supreme Court.

[gratuitous]

2. I think the standard is "voter intent"

Voting isn't a spelling test, and Miller would obviously like to win any way he can, even if it means changing the rules after the game is over (or the votes are in). It worked so well for the Republicans in Florida in 2000, there's probably no reason to think it's going to work any less well in Alaska in 2010.

[moondust]

16. Voter intent should be easy to determine with a name like Murkowski. n/t

[Skittles]

18. CORRECT

there can be a variety of spellings if the intent is obvious

[tanyev]

3. C-R-Y-B-A-B-Y

[proud2BlibKansan]

4. Because some voters are likely to spell Miller as M-u-r-k-o-w-s-k-i

LOL

[jillan]

17. lol!

[brewens]

5. A freakin' teabagger insisting on correct spelling?

:rofl:

Beam Me Up!!

[Toucano]

10. +1 True, true, true.

[spanone]

7. he's as slimy as they come

[madinmaryland]

8. You keep it up, Joey boy! Drag this out into next year and 2012 and BEYOND!!

:woohoo:

One less repuke in the Senate.

[Toucano]

11. "I'd like to thank all you lazy, illiterate fucks out there who didn't want me."

Great acceptance speech, Senator Miller.

[Renew Deal]

12. This is anti-democratic bullshit

It's overt disrespect for the voters and democracy.

[dsc]

13. I admit I don't know Alaska law

but when I lived in Ohio, one of the town trustees where I lived somehow messed up and didn't get papers in, in time for the filing deadline and had to run as a write in. We had to spell the person's name absolutely correctly (I took an ad into the booth to be sure). I have to say if the rules in Alaska state that the name has to be spelled correctly and that rule has been enforced in the past, it should be enforced now. It is unfair to have one set of rules for her and a completely different set for someone else. If they want to change the rules going forward, I would be happy to have them do that. but to change the rules for her now is unfair.

[Marie Marie]

14. Lucky for him that his name was spelled out on the ballot

because some of those moranic tea baggers wouldn't have even been able to spell his name. Major asshat.

[AC_Mem]

15. If they wrote in the name

They sure weren't writing M-I-L-L-E-R.

You lost, teabag. Even with allll that money, you still are a LOSER.