Peltola Campaign Seeks Dismissal of DOJ Alaska Senate Suit 2 Weeks Before Election
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Oct 28
Peltola Campaign Seeks Dismissal of DOJ Alaska Senate Suit 2 Weeks Before Election
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Oct 28
Summary
Mary Peltola’s campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee moved Sunday to dismiss the Justice Department’s lawsuit and asked a federal court to rule before Alaska’s Oct. 22 election.
The DOJ wants certification delayed if Sen. Dan Sullivan loses and votes for another candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., could have altered the result, arguing the near-identical names may confuse voters.
Peltola’s side says the federal law cited by DOJ covers voter registration, not ballot design or candidate eligibility; Alaska has already separately sought dismissal of the case.
The dispute follows a June ruling by Alaska Superior Court Judge Thomas Matthews that let the schoolteacher Daniel J. Sullivan stay on the ballot after election officials had disqualified him.
Legal experts cited in the report say DOJ faces a steep burden because anonymous ranked-choice ballots and voter-privacy rules make it hard to prove enough mistaken votes to overturn or delay the result.