The battle to win LGBT-inclusive non-discrimination laws in Anchorage, Alaska, has come to an end. Well, maybe.
Local NBC affiliate KTUU reports that the Anchorage Assembly voted Tuesday evening 7-4 not to launch an independent investigation into allegations that conservatives committed voter fraud by telling supporters they could register on the same day as the vote and separate claims that ballot shortages unfairly cost equality activists a winning vote.
But not all the Assembly members, even those who voted against an investigation, are convinced there weren't some shenanigans at play in the vote.
From the Kansas City Star, via Joe My God:
Some Assembly members who voted "no" said they liked the idea but wanted more information first to better direct the investigation.
Assembly Chairwoman Debbie Ossiander announced the Assembly would have a work session on the election Friday and would hear from the city clerk as well as the six-person Election Commission.
The clerk's office, which runs the elections, has said that 53 of 121 precincts at least temporarily ran short on ballots, based on a preliminary review. The shortages frustrated voters who drove from polling place to polling place in search of a way to choose their mayor and pick sides in the fractious gay rights debate.
One Assembly member said during a break that the election irregularities may have been severe enough to justify a redo.
"That's my gut feeling," said Harriet Drummond, who chairs the Assembly elections and ethics committee… "There are so many errors. There's no way to fix a specific point of blame at this point in time until we have answers to all these questions."
So while there will be no official investigation for now, it seems the case is not yet closed. That's at least better than nothing, right?
