Murkowski’s Fate Hinges on Absentee Ballots

[babylonsister]

Murkowski’s Fate Hinges on Absentee Ballots
By Kyle Trygstad, Roll Call


Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski is in danger of becoming the seventh Member of Congress to lose a primary this year, as she trails Republican challenger Joe Miller in Tuesday’s contest. With 98 percent of precincts reporting, Miller leads 51 percent to 49 percent, with less than 2,000 votes separating them.

The final result will not be known for at least a week, however, with as many as 16,000 absentee ballots waiting to be counted, the Anchorage Daily News reports. The first ballot count will take place Aug. 31, followed by subsequent counts for late-arriving ballots on Sept. 3 and Sept. 8.

“We knew the race was going to be tight. The rural areas have yet to come in and we know Sen. Murkowski is going to be very strong in the rural areas,” Murkowski spokesman Steve Wackowski said, according to the Daily News.

more...

http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docid=news-000003726120&topic=Feature