Yesterday, the Alaska Supreme Court handed Lisa Murkowski's Senate campaign a major victory by ruling that voters will be able to view lists of write-in candidates at their polling places. Alaska's Democratic and Republican Parties had teamed up earlier this week to sue the state's Division of Elections for providing lists to voters who asked for them. A lower court judge ruled against the lists Wednesday morning, but the state Supreme Court blocked that decision later in the day.
For Alaskans headed to the polls on Tuesday, this means that they will be able to request a list of write-in candidates (it won't be posted at polling sites). The list will have Murkowski's name alongside two other write-in candidates', and party affiliations will not be listed.
Murkowski's team had filed a brief in defense of the write-in lists. This victory may help her bid in the short run, but it will surely increase her legal troubles down the road. In fact, the state Supreme Court planned ahead for this by requiring that the Division of Elections sort out the ballots of voters who view a list of write-in candidates--a preparation for an appeal of the court's decision, if not broader legal action after the election.