Frye falls behind in write-in mayoral vote count

San Diego City Councilwoman Donna Frye has fallen approximately 2,500 votes behind in her write-in bid to oust incumbent Mayor Dick Murphy, the most recent numbers from the San Diego County Registrar of Voters indicate.

The registrar has verified just over 155,000 votes for Frye, who trails Murphy’s approximate 157,500 votes.

Though the final results will not be issued until Nov. 30, Murphy held a small, unofficial victory celebration late last week.

“I appreciate the work of the Registrar of Voters and all the people who participated in the election process,” Frye stated in a campaign message. “It is premature to assume a winner in the mayoral election, however, until every vote is counted. There is a fundamental right to expect that all voters who cast a ballot in this election have their vote counted. I remain optimistic that the will of the people will prevail once all the ballots are counted and included in the final tally.”

Frye also said she supported a lawsuit by the San Diego League of Women Voters, which seeks to force the registrar to count several thousands ballots on which voters wrote in a candidate’s name but did not fill in a corresponding “write-in” bubble.

A packet sent out to voters before Election Day may have confused some voters, as it did not mention the need to fill in the bubble, Frye stated. She pointed to the San Diego County Municipal Code, which lists no requirement for a bubble or other marking to be used.

Several days earlier, Frye survived a separate legal challenge, when the federal court threw out suits seeking to disqualify her candidacy based on the differences in the municipal code and the city charter for rules governing write-in candidates.

Regents expand benefits to domestic partners

By a unanimous vote, the UC Board of Regents approved a proposal meant to expand existing tuition and fee waivers to domestic partners, a move made necessary by state law.

The plan included amendments to the university’s Standing Order 110.2, which governs matters related to residency and tuition. The changes expanded the fee exemption provided to spouses of faculty members serving on UC Academic Senate to include registered domestic partners.

Other changes also expanded free education to registered domestic partners of law enforcement officers or fire fighters killed in active duty and to domestic partners of members of the California National Guard killed or permanently disabled while active in service.

A separate provision allows applicants with domestic partners to be considered “financially independent,” a classification that may increase access to aid.

The policy changes passed without opposition or discussion.

Researchers sound alarm in Florida presidential vote

A group of UC Berkeley researchers have called for an investigation of electronic voting at heavily Democratic Florida counties in the Nov. 2 presidential election. The group cited statistical evidence that showed large discrepancies between the shares of the vote received by President George W. Bush in counties using electronic voting machines and those voting by traditional methods.

The probability that the discrepancies arose by chance is less than 0.1 percent, they said.

“For the sake of all future elections involving electronic voting, someone must investigate and explain the statistical anomalies in Florida,” UC Berkeley sociology professor Michael Hout stated. “We’re calling on voting officials in Florida to take action.”

Statistical regression techniques showed that counties using electronic machines posted an unexpected gain in votes for Bush, the researchers reported.

However, critics of the statistical report have pointed out that the Democratic counties in question have shown a history of unexpectedly strong support for Republican incumbents in past elections, media outlets reported.

Scientists find treatment for rare fever syndrome

A team of UCSD scientists has found an effective treatment for a condition that causes flu-like symptoms after exposure to cold temperatures among a small population of people.

For those afflicted with the ailment, conditions as mild as an air-conditioned room or fall breeze can trigger joint pain, rash and fever.

In a study published in the Nov. 13 edition of the journal Lancet, researchers said they had discovered a protein responsible for the reaction and suggested that drug treatment prior to cold exposure could prevent the response by the immune system.