Politics1 min read

Justice Department seeks to isolate Alaska ballots amid criminal probe over Senate candidate

By · Via NPR · Published by Everything Blog

In short

The Justice Department has requested a court order to set aside ballots featuring candidate Dan J. Sullivan, citing a criminal investigation into whether Democratic challenger Mary Peltola's campaign coordinated his entry. Investigators are examining potential voter confusion alongside an ongoing FBI probe that has already included questioning a political donor. However, Alaska state attorneys argue that physically isolating these votes is impossible and unconstitutionally compromises voter ballot secrecy.

Key points

  • Federal investigators are examining whether Democratic entities intentionally recruited a…: Federal investigators are examining whether Democratic entities intentionally recruited a similarly named candidate to siphon votes from an incumbent.
  • Alaska officials maintain that existing ballot labels sufficiently differentiate the two…: Alaska officials maintain that existing ballot labels sufficiently differentiate the two candidates through distinct middle initials and party designations.
  • The outcome of the federal intervention could disrupt the official certification timeline…: The outcome of the federal intervention could disrupt the official certification timeline for Alaska's high-stakes Senate contest.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The U.S. Department of Justice pushed Friday for a court order to isolate certain Alaska ballots to investigate potential voter confusion, while federal officials confirmed the existence of a criminal probe over a Senate candidate who shares a name with the Republican incumbent.

The dueling developments came days before Tuesday's ranked choice general election, in a race headlined by two-term Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democratic former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola. The race is among a handful nationwide expected to determine control of the Senate.

Alaska U.S. Attorney Michael Heyman told reporters in Anchorage that the investigation has been ongoing for several months, but recent revelations from The New York Times that Peltola's campaign appeared to be involved in recruiting retired teacher Dan J. Sullivan have resulted in a "significant surge of law enforcement assets to Alaska."

Separately, the Justice Department — as part of a lawsuit it filed last week — asked a judge to order that state elections officials isolate ballots ranking Dan J. Sullivan to investigate potential voter "confusion" with the senator. The owner…

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