Justice Department requests ballot segregation in Alaska Senate race amid criminal probe
Federal prosecutors asked a judge to order the isolation of Alaska ballots that rank challenger Daniel J. Sullivan, citing concerns of voter confusion, as a criminal investigation into the Senate race proceeds.
The U.S. Department of Justice filed a request on Friday for a court order to isolate ballots in Alaska that rank challenger Daniel J. Sullivan, aiming to examine whether voter confusion influenced the rankings. The move comes as federal officials confirmed a criminal investigation involving the Senate race between incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democratic former Rep. Mary Peltola.
Alaska U.S. Attorney Michael Heyman told reporters the probe has been ongoing for several months and noted a recent report that Peltola’s campaign may have been involved in recruiting retired teacher Dan J. Sullivan, prompting a "significant surge of law enforcement assets to Alaska."
Assistant U.S. Attorney E. Bryan Wilson wrote that the government "seeks to preserve and segregate all ballots ranking Daniel J. Sullivan for the purposes of investigating whether such ranking was the product of voter confusion, should such an investigation become necessary."
Peltola denied any knowledge of the effort, stating, "I am not interested in tricking voters," and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has also rejected allegations of involvement. Dan J. Sullivan has similarly denied running at the behest of Democrats.
State election officials argue that separating the ballots would be impractical and could violate ballot secrecy, noting that Alaska’s ranked-choice system already allows voters to rank both candidates. The ballot lists the incumbent as "Dan S. Sullivan, Republican" and the challenger as "Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., no party affiliation."
The Justice Department also submitted a list of questions for the Peltola campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee as part of a civil case that could block certification of the election if the incumbent loses. President Donald Trump said he instructed the department to file the case.
In a separate development, Trump addressed a rally in Florida, urging prosecution of Peltola and Dan J. Sullivan, and directly appealed to Attorney General Todd Blanche for a decision on the matter.
The timing of the Justice Department’s public statements is unusual, as officials typically avoid public actions that could be seen as influencing an election in the weeks before voting.