Incumbent Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski is trying to win re-election as a write-in candidate. The problem, besides the fact that write-in candidates have a slim chance of winning, is that Alaska requires voters to spell the name of the write-in candidate correctly for the vote to count.
With a name like Murkowski, the success of her campaign could depend on how well Alaskans can spell.
Ads in Alaska have featured creative images associated with Murkowski’s name, so we asked UNC students about the effectiveness of unconventional campaigning for write-in ballots.
“I can empathize with Murkowski since my last name is also a mouthful,” said Donastas Sakellariou-Thompson, a sophomore chemistry major.
“But people are visual, so it’s a good idea to use imagery to help voters remember her name,” he said.
Here are a few suggestions Murkowski voters can use to remember how to spell her name:
- Remember Kelly Kapowski from Saved by the Bell? Substitute Murko- for Kapo- and you got this.
- Use the campaign logo of a wise man kneeling or “kowtowing” with a gift of myrrh inside the borders of the state of Poland. OK, maybe the cows and snow skis are easier.
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