Reports of Anchorage Proposition 5′s demise are premature
Bent Alaska: Opponents knew they were spreading false information
By Mel Green
Special to LGBTQ Nation
http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2012/04/reports-of-anchorage-proposition-5s-demise-are-premature/ANCHORAGE, Alaska — In spite of the Anchorage Daily News headline "Voters reject sexual orientation initiative", it's far from clear that voters have in fact done so.
Two hours before voting ended last night, numerous polling places had run out of ballots. Staff of the municipal clerk's office was sent scurrying all over town bringing additional ballots and even additional envelopes for questioned ballots. Thousands of unanticipated questioned ballots were cast, some of them by voters who had been forced to stand in line waiting to vote, others by voters who might, according to Municipal Clerk Barbara Gruenstein, not even be qualified to vote in this election. There were scattered reports of some voters being turned away from the polls. And questions abounded.
Questioned ballots abounded, too. By night's end, the municipal clerk's office was left with an unknown number of questioned ballots, and had no real idea of how long it might take to examine them and count the valid ones. Absentee ballots (including early voting ballots), which were also used in high numbers, had also not been counted. Absentee and question ballots will be counted on April 13.
Will those ballots be enough to tip the scale in favor of Proposition 5?
