Judge dismisses lawsuit to decertify Alaska Senate election

A federal judge dismissed the Department of Justice's lawsuit seeking to decertify Alaska's Senate election results. US District Court Judge Sharon Gleason threw out the case on Sunday, calling the government's request 'infeasible'.

Judge Gleason stated that many voters had already cast ballots and that they were commingled, making voter identification impossible. The judge concluded the US government provided no workable plan to segregate ballots for a candidate named Sullivan while still preserving voter secrecy. She ruled that determining voter intent without violating privacy would be impossible and that any court order would violate Alaskans' right to a secret ballot.

Peltola denies recruiting Sullivan Jr.

Democratic Senate nominee Mary Peltola denied any involvement in recruiting Dan J. Sullivan Jr. as a spoiler candidate. These allegations suggested operatives associated with Peltola recruited Sullivan Jr. to draw votes from the incumbent Republican senator, Dan S. Sullivan.

Peltola called the allegations a 'distraction' from issues like high prices, which she linked to the US-Israel war on Iran. Her campaign and the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee were allowed to join as defendants in the now-dismissed lawsuit. Their lawyer, Marc Elias, declared victory over the dismissed case.

Sullivan accepts results, lawsuit context

Incumbent Senator Dan S. Sullivan pledged to accept the election results. During a CNN interview on Sunday, Sullivan said, "I'm going to accept the election results." He stated he was confident of winning but would accept the outcome win or lose.

The dismissed lawsuit had sought to prevent Alaska from certifying its Senate election results if Senator Sullivan lost. It argued that voter confusion was likely because two candidates had similar names: the Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan and the non-incumbent Daniel Sullivan Jr. The Trump administration, which filed the suit, argued Sullivan Jr.'s candidacy was intended to confuse voters and violated the National Voter Registration Act.

Senator Sullivan accused Peltola of cheating and claimed her campaign, alongside Senator Chuck Schumer and his aides, showed 'complete disrespect' for Alaskans. Over the weekend, the senator was also seen handing out candy at a 'trunk-or-treat' event in Anchorage, where he quipped his costume was 'the real Dan Sullivan'.

Legal and political fallout

The Department of Justice, under a nominee of former President Barack Obama, is expected to appeal the ruling. Department spokespeople did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The lawsuit was filed by US Attorney General Todd Blanche just two days before the November 3 midterm election.

This legal action followed a state-level dispute. The Alaska Supreme Court ruled in June that Sullivan Jr. has the right to run as a candidate, finding the Division of Elections abused its discretion in trying to remove him. The state's Republican Party had previously tried to keep Sullivan Jr. off the ballot.

Republican Governor Mike Dunleavy ordered an investigation, stating on October 30 that certification of results could be stopped or changed if wrongdoing is found. At the same press conference, U.S. Attorney Michael Heyman confirmed an ongoing criminal probe by the Justice Department. The American Civil Liberties Union's Voting Rights Project director, Sophia Lin Lakin, called the federal lawsuit lawless and a reckless waste of taxpayer money.

Alaska's Senate race is one of seven key toss-ups that could determine which party controls the US Senate. Republican Senator Dan S. Sullivan is an ally of former US President Donald Trump. Over 86,700 voters cast ballots during early voting in Alaska. Voting is expected to continue through Tuesday's Election Day.