Preliminary returns are in for the first round in the special election to fill the remainder of the current term for Alaska’s single congressional seat. Sarah Palin is grabbing headlines by leading the field of 48 candidates with about 30 percent of the vote. But four candidates will move on to the final round (confusingly, to be held at the same time as the first round for the regular midterm election to fill the same seat), where Instant Runoff Voting will be used to determine the winner. Another Republican candidate, Nick Begich III, will also be among the four finalists; he’s now in second place with about 19 percent. It will be interesting to see how these two Republicans fare against each other in the Instant Runoff Voting procedure.