'Empty Ovals' Won't Be Counted (Donna Frye - S.Diego)

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SAN DIEGO — In a major defeat for write-in mayoral candidate Councilwoman Donna Frye on Monday, a judge refused to order that "empty oval" ballots for Frye be counted, despite a claim that such ballots would give her a victory.

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The decision by Superior Court Judge Eric Helgesen may spell the end to one of the city's most improbable candidacies: a write-in effort launched just five weeks before election day by a councilwoman known to many voters primarily as the wife of legendary surfer Skip Frye.

Frye, a Democrat, referred to her opponents, Murphy and county Supervisor Ron Roberts, both Republicans, as "Mr. Status and Mr. Quo."

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Frye, 52, owner of a surf shop, entered the race amid near daily news coverage of the city's pension deficit and declining credit rating.

Her campaign, backed by environmentalists and labor union members, was based on an assertion that Murphy and Roberts were about "business as usual" and not capable of fixing the city's financial problems.

Unofficial results released Friday by the registrar showed Murphy with 34.5% of the vote, Frye with 34.04% and Roberts with 31.02%.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/politics/cal/la-me-sdmayor23nov23,1,6303246.story?coll=la-news-politics-california