Alaska Special Election - Does It Matter If A Write-In Candidate Is Certified Or Not?

The quick answer, I got from the Division Elections yesterday, is No.  

I'd read online that only write-in votes for write-in candidats who had registered and were certified  would count.  

Normally, a write in candidate wouldn't really matter.  But on a ranked choice vote, if you pick one as your first or second choice, it could matter if no one gets 50% of the vote on the first round.  Then the candidate you vote for second would get the vote if your write-in candidate is dropped. 

But when I asked my question in the voting room (at the Division of Elections on Gamble near Fireweed) they had trouble actually answering.  There were no instructions about who the certified write-in candidates were in the voting booth.  It just said how you could write in a name. So then I asked someone else.  

Instructions in the voting booth

Is there any difference in how a certified write-in candidate is treated and just writing in Donald Duck?

If I put Donald Duck as my first choice would my next choice get my vote in the second round, the same as a certified write-in candidate?  The person couldn't really answer my question.

She walked me down the hall and got someone from the Division of Elections to respond.  In the end, the Division of Elections person said it didn't matter if the write-in candidate was certified or not.  If you vote them number one and it goes to a second round, then your second choice would count.  

Even if it's Donald Duck?  Yes.

When I asked what the point of getting certified was, I was told that maybe more people would know you were a candidate.  

I guess it's good that we learn in a special election before we're faced with new questions in every race.

It wasn't easy deciding how to vote.  My first choice was easy.  But do I really want to vote, even third or fourth for Sarah Palin?  Or for Nick Begich?  Both are Trumpers, apparently happy with the Supreme Court's abortion ruling.  And that Trump keeps saying the election was stolen.  The one is mostly fireworks and an attention addict, but the other seems more problematic because he's smarter and hardwired with Fundamentalist upbringing and pro-business ideology.  Palin will get tired after a while, but Begich could do real damage.  Wouldn't have to even think about this without Ranked Choice Voting.  And without Ranked Choice Voting, Palin and Begich would take votes away from each other giving Peltola a path to win.  Why didn't Santa Claus come in fourth?  

Meanwhile we have great "I've Voted" sticker options.