Begich lead over Stevens grows

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

http://www.adn.com/front/


Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich's lead over Sen. Ted Stevens is growing in today's ballot count in the race for U.S. Senate. The latest numbers show Begich up by 2,374 votes.

http://www.adn.com/elections/story/593530.html

The state has counted over 16,000 absentee and questioned ballots so far today from Southeast Alaska, Anchorage, the Kenai Peninsula and Kodiak. Elections officials expect to count nearly 8,000 more this afternoon.

All the votes left to count today are absentee ballots from the Anchorage area. The Division of Elections expects to have the results between 4 and 5 p.m.

Today's count should pretty much decide the race, although there will be overseas absentees to count over the next couple days and a likely recount in early December.