Alaska Senate Battle Could Take Weeks to Resolve

Thanks to Lisa Murkowski’s write-in campaign, it could be weeks before the result of Alaska’s election is clear. And depending on how races in the Lower 48 play out, that could mean weeks of nail-biting before we know which party controls the Senate, the New York Times reports. Joe Miller, the official GOP candidate, has seen his poll numbers sliding, meaning Murkowski could slip into office—or Democrat Scott McAdams could take advantage of split Republican support.

The matter could be resolved quickly if an official candidate is clearly ahead, but things could get complicated if the number of ballots with the “write-in” bubble filled takes, or approaches, the lead. In that case, it’s a two-week wait for absentee ballots before a count can be undertaken; and then there’s questions of misspellings and disqualifications that could bring the case to court, forcing an even longer wait.
(More Lisa Murkowski stories.)