Updated
Updated · abcnews.com · Aug 16
Trump Alleges Alaska Ballot Trickery Over 2 Dan Sullivans as Senate Primary Nears
Updated
Updated · abcnews.com · Aug 16

Trump Alleges Alaska Ballot Trickery Over 2 Dan Sullivans as Senate Primary Nears

3 articles · Updated · abcnews.com · Aug 16

Summary

  • Tuesday’s Alaska primary has drawn fresh attention after Trump accused Democrats of using a second Dan Sullivan on the Senate ballot to siphon votes from incumbent Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan.
  • Trump posted a sample ballot marking the incumbent as “Trump-endorsed,” while Democrats, Mary Peltola’s campaign and challenger Dan J. Sullivan all denied any scheme to confuse voters.
  • Dan J. Sullivan — a retired fifth-grade teacher — has survived Republican complaints, legal challenges and a DOJ investigation; Alaska’s top court let him remain on the ballot in June.
  • Alaska’s top-four, ranked-choice system means both Dan Sullivans could still reach the November ballot, raising the stakes in a race Democrats see as key to control of Congress.

Insights

How does a state manage an election when identical candidate names threaten to disrupt its ranked-choice voting system?
Can simple ballot design tweaks truly prevent mass voter confusion when cognitive psychology meets identical names in the voting booth?