[RileyD, nwJ]

To help you answer your own question (11) has been slightly reformatted below as applicable to this senate race.

(11) A vote for a write-in candidate, ...
shall be counted ...
if the name,
as it appears,
on the write-in declaration of candidacy,
of the candidate or the last name of the candidate
is written in the space provided.

[hobbes1]

Correct.

And we are clearly speaking about ballots that were intended to be read, by someone.

The legislature could have demanded exactitude in spelling, when drafting the law and did not.

There is no criteria in that statute demanding perfection in spelling, clearly the responsibility falls on the individual tallying the votes, subject to the challenge process.

(which may or may not speak further on the subject, but it is CLEARLY not in this instance)