NEWS
September 13, 2011 | By Kim Geiger
Citing reports that at least a handful of absentee ballots had been mailed to voters who are now deceased, Republican Bob Turner obtained a court order impounding absentee ballots cast in the special election in New York's 9th Congressional District. Bill O'Reilly, a spokesman for the Turner campaign, said in an email that the campaign requested that the ballots be impounded after "getting serious reports of election fraud. " "Many Democrats -- including deceased ones -- were sent ballots without applying," O'Reilly said.
OPINION
August 17, 2011 | By Dan Schnur
We're not always fair to our politicians. We criticize them for raising taxes or for cutting spending, but then we complain when they refuse to compromise. We get angry when they grovel to special interests, except when those interests are our own. We disparage them for attacking each other, and we ignore them when they don't. But at the point our political leaders not only treat each other as enemy combatants but begin to regard the rest of us as unnecessary nuisances, our contempt for them becomes entirely deserved.
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
March 9, 2011 | By Maeve Reston, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
Los Angeles City Councilman Bernard C. Parks declared victory early Wednesday after results showed him narrowly avoiding a runoff by less than 1 percentage point in unofficial tallies. But his chief opponent, Forescee Hogan-Rowles, said she would not concede and would wait until all the provisional and remaining absentee ballots were counted. Parks, the former city police chief who was heavily opposed by organized labor, had to win more than 50% of the vote in Tuesday's primary to declare outright victory.
NATIONAL
November 18, 2010 | By Kim Murphy, Los Angeles Times
Sen. Lisa Murkowski claimed victory Wednesday night over defiant challenger Joe Miller after building a decisive lead in near-final vote tallies. The Republican incumbent persuaded more than 100,000 Alaskans to write in her name ? a highly unusual feat in a statewide race. If her victory holds up through a possible recount and court challenge, she would become the first senator elected by write-in since 1954. "I think we can say our miracle is here," she told about 50 cheering supporters in Anchorage as the state was completing its count of the last 700 absentee ballots.
NATIONAL
November 3, 2010 | Kim Murphy
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski's unusual write-in bid to hold on to her Alaska Senate seat appeared to be gaining steam in early returns Tuesday, but analysts warned that the state could be in for a long, close ballot count whose official outcome may remain unknown for weeks. With early ballots and about 58% of the precincts tallied, write-in votes -- most presumably cast for Murkowski -- were leading with 39%. Tea Party Express-backed Republican Joe Miller was trailing with 35%, while Democrat Scott McAdams had 24%. The early lead in write-in ballots suggested Murkowski had a chance of pulling off the first successful write-in campaign for the Senate since 1954.
NEWS
November 3, 2010 | By Kim Murphy, Los Angeles Times
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski held on to an apparent lead Wednesday in her write-in bid to hold on to her Senate seat in Alaska, though "tea party" candidate Joe Miller's campaign leaders said they were not nearly ready to concede. With more than 98% of the ballots counted in the tense, three-way race, write-in ballots had gained 41% of the vote ? a mark considered crucial to success by many analysts ? while Miller still trailed with 34.2%. Democrat Scott McAdams had 23.7%. "This is about our state.