The Division of Elections has unveiled the process by which it will count the write-in votes in the U.S. Senate race. The write-in count will begin Wednesday morning, though the division is also counting more than 20,000 absentee ballots today.

The ballots will be transported by Goldbelt Security from the Division of Elections ballot room to Juneau's Alaska Litho Building, where there will be 15 teams of two elections officials, with an observer from both the Murkowski and Miller camps likely sitting at each table.

When the counting of the write-in ballots begins, election workers will open the sealed envelopes containing a precinct's ballots and begin sorting the ballots into five box lids.

There are five categories in the initial sort:

1. The confused votes: Ballots on which a candidate whose name is printed on the ballot has been written in.

2. The extremely confused votes: Ballots on which more than one oval is marked or a name is written in but no oval is marked.

3. The inarguable votes: Ballots on which the oval is marked for a write-in and "Lisa Murkowski" or "Murkowski" is written in exactly.

4. The votes to watch: Ballots on which the oval is marked for a write-in but the name written is a variation or misspelling of "Lisa Murkowski" or "Murkowski."

5. The "Spider-Man" votes: Ballots on which the name written in is not "Lisa Murkowski" or a variation thereof.

Once that initial sort has been completed, the election officials will take the ballots in box lid #4 (remember, that's the important one) and sort those into four sub-categories:

a. Ballots that are determined by the election workers to be for Murkowski that are not challenged by either of the camp's observers.

b. Ballots that are determined to be for Murkowski that are challenged (presumably by a Miller observer). These ballots will be segregated and placed in an envelope labeled "Challenged Counted for Murkowski."

c. Ballots that are determined not to count for Murkowski that are challenged (presumably by a Murkowski observer). These ballots will be segregated and placed in an envelope labeled "Challenged NOT Counted for Murkowski."

d. Ballots determined not to count for Murkowski that are not challenged. These ballots will be placed back in box lid #5.

The instructions released by the Divison of Elections (PDF) read, "Each ballot in box lid #4 will be reviewed to determine voter intent." All ballots will be reviewed by elections director Gail Fenumiai, according to Lt. Gov. Craig Campbell.

By the end of the counting, and hopefully throughout the process, numbers will be released for the three crucial categories: the inarguable votes for Murkowski, the votes counted for Murkowski that are being challenged, and the votes not counted for Murkowski that are being challenged.

And at the end of all this, Alaskans should know whether they have a new U.S. senator.

Contact Joshua Saul at jsaul(at)alaskadispatch.com.