Democratic groups and voting-rights advocates push to stop Justice Department attack on Alaska Senate certification
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Several Democratic-aligned organizations have moved to join a federal case after the Justice Department sought to block Alaska from certifying its U.S. Senate election results, in what the groups describe as an extraordinary federal intrusion into state election administration.
Democratic-aligned groups, including the campaign for Senate candidate Mary Peltola, the Democratic Party's Senate campaign committee, Alaskans for Mary, the League of Women Voters of Alaska and Common Cause, have asked a federal court to allow them to intervene in a Justice Department lawsuit that seeks to prevent Alaska from certifying its Senate election if incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan is defeated.
The plaintiffs argue that the executive branch has no authority to interfere in state-run elections and that the lawsuit represents a sweeping and unprecedented effort to override state election administration, which is already carrying out early voting.
In filings submitted on Friday, the groups note that President Donald Trump confirmed he personally directed the Justice Department to file the suit, stating, "> I'm the one that said 'do it.'"
The Justice Department filed the complaint on Oct. 22, requesting an order that would bar Alaska from certifying the Senate race should the incumbent lose. The filing cites the National Voter Registration Act, but the intervenors contend that the statute does not give the federal government power to dictate candidate eligibility or ballot design, issues reserved to the states under the Constitution.
The case centers on a challenger named Daniel J. Sullivan, whose name closely resembles that of incumbent Senator Daniel S. Sullivan. After a state Republican Party complaint led Alaska election officials to initially remove the challenger from the ballot, state courts ordered his reinstatement, and the Alaska Supreme Court later required the ballot to clearly distinguish the two candidates.
Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski criticized the lawsuit on social media, saying the Justice Department should not have filed it. The Democratic groups argue that the suit could prevent Peltola from taking office even if she wins under Alaska's ranked-choice system and could leave Alaskans without representation. They are seeking defendant-intervenor status so they can move to dismiss the case.