Joe Miller, Alaskan Republican Senate candidate, is suing the state Division of Elections to enforce a perfect spelling standard for write-in votes. His write-in opponent is incumbent Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski. Murkowski is not easy to spell.
Joe Miller believes that write-in votes for “Lisa Morkowski” or “Lesa Murkowski” or even, “Lisa Murkowski, Republican” do not necessarily accurately represent a voter’s intent.
That point is not worth discussing.
What is worth discussing is Miller’s ongoing disdain for voters’ common sense. He is shamelessly willing to disqualify votes that clearly express the voters’ preference in order to advance his personal agenda.
I should not be surprised. He has clearly demonstrated his character throughout his personal history. But I am disappointed. Of all the places to convert an election to a spelling bee, Alaska is a particularly unfortunate selection. Approximately 24% of Alaskans do not have internet access. Murkowski is hard enough to spell without easy access to media to look it up.
It looks like Lisa Murkowski will have enough votes to win, with or without the “Lesa Morkowski” vote. Good for her. She fought hard. And she has a long history of fighting hard for Alaska.
