Write-in ballot count: 'Fictitious characters will be tallied'
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EUGENE, Ore. - Just when you thought the elections were finished, not so fast: 24 people at the Lane County Elections office have the last say.
They've begun the task of counting the votes for Lane County Circuit Court, position 7.
"So don't complete the total column on the far right," Lane County Clerk Cheryl Betschart instructed her captive crew of counters.
It's all write-in ballots, more than 38,000 to go through. They have to figure out the winner among 5 candidates. That's because the incumbent, Kitzhaber-appointed Judge Jay McAlpin, missed the filing deadline to put his name on the November ballot.
McAlpin and 4 others are the write-in candidates.
"This is the first time that I have seen a judge position" in this write-in format, Betschart ttold KVAL News, "so we're possibly going to have some new ground to cover for this office."
Teams of four are going through the ballots. If there are misspelled names or other mistakes on the ballots, Betschart said it's up to the teams to decide voter intent.
At least the counting crews won't have to worry about "hanging chads" a la Florida this time around, but what if people voted for Mickey Mouse or a TV character?
"Fictitious characters will be tallied," the clerk said.
Officials hope to be able to name a real, human winner - sorry, Mickey - by Friday afternoon.
I voted for N.O.T.A.
The problem with Judges is that seldom does the electorate get to choose a Judge. The Lawyers have figured out how to keep the bench to their liking.  If a Judge leaves he or she usually does so at a time when the Governor has to appoint a replacement. The State Attorney Bar makes recommendations to the Governor and most of the time that is followed as long as the recommendation generally falls within the partisan preference of the Governor. Now there are those out there who will say that is a bunch of nonsense. I would ask you this, when was the last time you voted for a Judge that was being opposed by a conservative or anyone for that matter? Most of the time they run unopposed. This is by design, not by accident. Know why our justice systems is so messed up?
We must remember to thank Judge McAlpin for adding this extra expense for Lane County. It is unfortunate that Governor Kitzhaber wasn't able to select a judge who could read and interpret the laws applicable to his office. Maybe he can learn more about the law as he decides cases which effect the rest of us.
@hewhoo Not all his fault really. You can read the full article here. I just pasted a bit.
http://www.registerguard.com/web/newslocalnews/28751212-41/mcalpin-county-judge-state-election.html.csp
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McAlpin said that sometime after taking office he searched the state Elections Division Web page to see if he was required to run for election to a full six-year term this year. The search did not turn up any hits showing the Lane County Position 7 judgeship being up for election in 2012, he said.
Later, he checked the Elections Division website again and noticed a Position 7 judgeship listed up for election in Lake County. He said he contacted the state and was told that was a typo and should have read Lane County.
But by then the filing deadline had passed, by one day. McAlpin said it was his fault for not confirming the election date sooner.
âUltimately, itâs my fault for not looking earlier,â he said. âIâve been working hard as a judge, I enjoy the job and I think I do it well. Iâm disappointed I let my inexperience as a politician put that in jeopardy.â
Andrea Cantu-Schomus, spokeswoman for the secretary of stateâs office, said McAlpin didnât contact the elections office by phone to ask about the filing requirements until the day after the filing deadline. At that time he pointed out the typographical error.
Cantu-Schomus acknowledged that the Elections Division website did list the position as Lake County, but also noted that it was listed as being in District 2, which is Lane County. The typographical error was corrected immediately, she said.
@eugenevoter I expect a judge to be able to read the statutes applicable to a factual situation and apply the law to those facts. I don't expect a judge to rely on a website to govern his legal analysis.   By the time an attorney is a judge, we should expect much more than him being able to find a website. Should he decide your civil suit or a criminal case based on what someone puts on a website?  If he is this sloppy in his own affairs, why should I trust him in a criminal or civil case? I was part of the 'undervote' for this race because none of the wannabes (including Judge McAlpin)  seemed to meet the standards of the current Lane judiciary.