San Diego City Councilwoman Donna Frye (D), a write-in candidate for mayor, is only 2,205 votes behind incumbent Mayor Dick Murphy (R). Though Murphy declared victory on Friday, a lawsuit filed by the League of Women Voters is calling for a count of all write-in ballots, even those in which the bubble next to the write-in candidate’s name is not filled in, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. Frye supporters believe this would give her at least 4,000 to 5,000 additional votes, the LA Times reports. Frye announced her write-in candidacy only five weeks before the election, and managed to make the race a three-way split. County Supervisor Ron Roberts ended with 31.02 percent of the vote, behind Murphy (34.05 percent) and Frye (34.04 percent). Two lawsuits were filed seeking to declare Frye’s candidacy illegal because the city charter does not allow for write-in candidates in runoff elections. Superior Court judge Charles Jones dismissed one of these lawsuits, and he will also rule on the League of Women Voters lawsuit, the Times reports. The other lawsuit against Frye’s candidacy is pending in federal court. Frye was the only City Council member to vote against underfunding the city’s employee pension plan, and she has often boycotted closed-door council meetings, according to the Times. Her candidacy focused on the city’s financial practices, which are currently being investigated by the US Securities and Exchange Commission and Justice Department, the Associated Press reports. In addition to serving on the City Council, Frye is a surf-shop owner and wife of surfing legend Skip Frye. JOIN the Feminist Majority
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