Sometimes the outcome is decided by late-arriving absentee ballots. Sometimes by recount. At least once by a coin flip.
The state Supreme Court has had a say in at least three or four elections.
In 1974, Republican Jay Hammond took the governor's office away from Bill Egan by 287 votes. Four years later, it looked like Hammond would lose the Republican primary for his job to Wally Hickel.
The day after the election, with about 30 precincts still to be counted, Hickel was ahead of Hammond by about 900 votes. That looked like a landslide compared to the Democratic primary in that governor's race, where Chancy Croft had a 64-vote edge over Ed Merdes.
After the last precincts and some 7,000 absentee ballots were counted a week later, Hammond pulled ahead by 37 votes. Questioned ballots put him up by about 98. He kept that lead through a recount -- done by hand -- that took several days. Hickel's attorneys went to court, arguing for a new primary election.
On a Saturday night a month after the election, 247 overlooked primary ballots from a Mat-Su precinct turned up in a file cabinet in the Anchorage elections office.
It all worked out. The state Supreme Court refused to order a new primary, and Hammond eventually beat Croft in the general election.
Bill Sheffield ended up winning the 1982 Democratic primary by 267 votes, then went on to win the general.
In 1994, Tony Knowles had a 583 vote lead over Republican Jim Campbell after the votes were counted the first time in the general election. Campbell closed to 536 after a recount, but Democrat Knowles was seated by a whopping 0.3 percent. The two candidates split 174,850 votes between them.
Dozens of state House races have been decided by a handful of votes. Literally.
And two years ago, Democrats Bryce Edgmon and Carl Moses ended the primary dead even -- 767 votes each.
Only one way to settle that race under state law. By lot.
This time, it was a coin flip.
Edgmon won.
Reporter Don Hunter can be reached at dhunter@adn.com or 257-4349.
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