DOJ Sues to Block Alaska Senate Certification if Dan Sullivan Loses
Justice Department suit seeks to block certification of Alaska's ranked-choice Senate race if Sen. Dan Sullivan loses, citing a similarly named candidate.
The story in focus
The Justice Department filed suit Friday seeking to block certification of Alaska's Senate election if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses to Democrat Mary Peltola, CBS News reported. The filing targets a similarly named candidate, teacher Daniel J. Sullivan, and alleges his candidacy violates the National Voter Registration Act.
- The Justice Department filed the complaint Friday, CBS News reported.
- Alaska's ranked-choice ballot lists four candidates, including Sen. Dan Sullivan and teacher Daniel J. Sullivan.
- DOJ alleges Daniel J. Sullivan ran with a similar ballot name to confuse voters and cites the National Voter Registration Act.
- A Peltola campaign spokesperson called the effort a political threat to overturn an election.
- A Justice Department spokesperson said the complaint aims to protect election integrity.
What the filing seeks
The complaint asks a court to prevent certification of the Alaska Senate result if Republican Sen. Daniel Sullivan loses to Democrat Mary Peltola, according to CBS News. The Justice Department argues that votes cast unintentionally for the other Sullivan should not be treated as rendering the election valid.
The department alleges that candidate Daniel J. Sullivan, a teacher, deliberately sought to confuse voters by using a similar ballot name. It also points to the possibility that supporters of the senator might misjudge how to rank three Republican candidates or omit the senator entirely. A sample ballot in the filing shows how the two names would appear.
Court history and reactions
In June, the Alaska Supreme Court allowed Daniel J. Sullivan to remain on the ballot, upholding a lower court and reversing the state Division of Elections finding that he was ineligible for allegedly causing voter confusion. His lawyers argued state officials lacked authority to exclude him over private motivations.
Peltola campaign spokesperson Harry Child called the effort a political threat to overturn an election. A Justice Department spokesperson said the complaint was filed to protect election integrity. The filing states the department would seek an investigation if the senator loses but would have won with the other Sullivan's votes.
What happens if Sen. Dan Sullivan loses in November?
The Justice Department's complaint asks a court to block certification of the result. The filing states DOJ would seek an investigation if the senator loses but would have won with the other Sullivan's votes.
Sources & further reading
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