More than 49 million Americans have already voted early as all 435 House seats and 35 Senate seats are contested. In Alaska, federal prosecutors have accelerated a criminal inquiry and moved to potentially halt election certification over alleged candidate recruitment against Republican incumbent Dan S. Sullivan. The Trump administration has expanded related actions across roughly 30 states to demand unredacted voter rolls while facing judicial pushback in California over threats against local officials.
Key points
The Trump administration has expanded its legal interventions against roughly 30 states a…: The Trump administration has expanded its legal interventions against roughly 30 states and the District of Columbia to demand unredacted voter rolls.
Both Democratic candidate Mary Peltola and nonpartisan candidate Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. h…: Both Democratic candidate Mary Peltola and nonpartisan candidate Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. have denied coordinating in the contested Alaska Senate race.
A late-September to early-October poll revealed that 76 percent of voters remain confiden…: A late-September to early-October poll revealed that 76 percent of voters remain confident that their ballots will be counted accurately.
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WASHINGTON: As the campaign for control of the US Congress reached its final weekend, the Trump administration stepped up its legal intervention in the Alaska Senate race while the number of Americans casting early ballots neared 50 million, a record for a midterm election.
The Department of Justice accelerated its criminal investigation in Alaska on Friday (Oct 30), following reports that aides to a Democratic Senate candidate recruited a retired schoolteacher from a remote fishing village to get on the ballot because he has the same name as the Republican incumbent.
The DOJ, acting on a civil lawsuit that US President Donald Trump said he instigated, also filed further motions in an attempt to block the state of Alaska from certifying the Senate results if the Republican incumbent, Dan S. Sullivan, loses a close race on a ballot that includes the nonpartisan candidate Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.
The closely contested race in Alaska is seen as crucial for the Democrats if they hope to take control of the Senate from Trump's Republicans in Tuesday's vote.
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