Alaska Update: The Fat Lady Isn't Singing Yet

News just in from Leslie Ridle. If you want to watch the returns on the official website, click here.

The Fat Lady isn't singing but she's humming a happy little tune today. There are still a lot of acts to this (soap) opera to go, but we're cautiously optimistic! There are at least 40,000 votes still to be counted, so this process continues. If you haven't heard -- we're up 814 votes!

What has been counted and what hasn't? The majority of the early votes and absentee in person, some question ballots and some mail in absentee ballots have been counted in:

Ketchikan

Juneau

Anchorage

Eagle River

Mat-Su

Fairbanks

Valdez

Military bases

Kodiak

Whole Kenai Peninsula

What hasn't been counted Nothing in districts 2, 5, 6, and 37-40 which includes:

Petersburg

Sitka

Rural Southeast

Cordova

Yakutat

Interior Alaska

Dillingham

Bethel

Nome

Kotzebue

Barrow

Unalaska (entire chain)

We did very well in all these districts, so we're hopeful about these. The early votes and absentee in person and some mail in Absentee ballots and some question ballots will be counted on Friday.

It looks like the Division of Elections is going to do all the rest of the remaining Absentees by mail and the question ballots for all districts on Tuesday. So, we should know a lot more by Tuesday. Around 12 percent of the ballots remain outstanding. There are 25,789 early votes and absentee ballots remaining plus 14,932 question ballots, for a total of 40,721 uncounted ballots. This number could still increase slightly because ballots mailed on Election Day are accepted through Friday domestically and Wednesday, November 19 overseas.

TUESDAY! 2 weeks after the election.

Comments

[Foreground]

Unalaska? I'm assuming that isn't a part of "real" Alaska, right?

[lephead]

Here's why you can be quite confident Begich will win :
Anchorage : poll vote Stevens 49.9% Begich 46%
non-poll vote : Stevens 41.5% Begich 54.6%
8,000 left in Anchorage to count
Fairbanks : polls Stevens 48.2% Begich 44.7%
non-poll vote : Stevens 39.1% Begich 53.7%
ballots left 5,000

rest of state : ballots left 11,000

[Cinnamonape]

Friday Update ...after todays counting the tally now stands at 137527 Begich (47.40%)- 136466 Stevens (47.04%) out of a total 290,122 counted.

Begich now leads by 1061 votes!

That's up from 824 on Wednesday so the lead continues to increase and approach the magic 1500 vote level.

Another race that's of interest is Alaska House District #7.
Karl Kassel (D) has 4999 votes to Mike Kelly (R) 5000 votes. 1 vote difference!!!!
36 Write-In and about 200 spoiled, or otherwise questioned ballots.

Karl Kassel...who knew that the NPR news announcer was robo-calling Alaskans to get their vote?

[WhoneedsGoverment]

I quess the question is why did 55 million people think the Republicans are doing a good job and voted for McSame??

.

[beantowner]

These are the same dolts who voted for GWB - twice, no less. 'Nuff said.

[plooger]

Is there any explanation for the House result, up there, with Young seemingly overcoming what appeared to be a persistent and substantial deficit in pre-election polling?

[Liberalrep1980]

No, I want this chump to lose strait up. Then he can go to prison. I don't care if he didn't want the gifts, didn't ask for them, and didn't care for them. He should have taken each one and simply sold them and used the money for something good. What a putts. If he was booted out he would have some glory in the fact that he wasn't voted out by his own people. This way, while he sits in prison with all the other government officials who seem to be going that direction, he'll know they didn't want him.

[WilliePilgrim]

Thanks for keeping us posted...and the system under the lens.

[Cinnamonape]

Oh...any clue as to where all the mystery ballots have gone. The numbers still look to be in 295,000 range.

[Cinnamonape]

It's looking very good, but I wonder if Mark will get the number needed to surpass the automatic recount level paid for by the State. Probably doesn't matter since Stevens will definitely come up with the money even if it's within 1%...but I'd like to see him concede.

[Hillblogger]

What's up with Alaska? Why didn't Alaska voters simply thump Stevens in the polling booth and be done with it?

[worldwise2008]

I lived in Alaska through 5 decades. I can tell you for a fact that almost all of repubs up there will vote for anything with an (R) after it's name. Say a hypothetical ballot looked like this: Stalin (R) vs Jesus (D) and I'll put money on the (R) carrying Alaska.

Heck, even most Alaskan Dems want to drill in ANWR.

Sad, but true.

However, the lefties up there are very very passionate about their causes, so not all is lost.

[plooger]

Yes, Alaskans want to drill in ANWR. I'd be tempted, too, if I knew it would increase the size of the checks I receive from the government.

[Foreground]

Of course, Stalin (R) would win against Jesus (D).

Everyone knows that Democrats favor the worst form of economic policy ever: Socialism.

[kwalters]

Go Begich! I hope the DOE there will still be challenged to count the voted ballots, spoiled ballots, and the UNCOUNTED BALLOTS, and match to the reciept. The reciept MUST MATCH! I don't trust anything with the DOE. I really hope the FBI wiretapped some phones.

all of the ballots must be counted!