DOJ Sues to Block Alaska Senate Certification Pending Probe Into Same-Name Candidate Confusion
The U.S. Department of Justice filed suit on Thursday, October 22, in federal court in Anchorage, Alaska, asking the court to block certification of the state's U.S. Senate election if Republican incumbent Sen. Dan S. Sullivan loses. The complaint alleges that another candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a retired schoolteacher from Petersburg running with no party label, could confuse voters. Defendants include the State of Alaska and Elections Director Carol Beecher.
The Justice Department asked the court to block certification of any result "that may be impacted by voter confusion" pending an investigation into whether, under Alaska's ranked-choice tabulation, votes cast for Daniel J. Sullivan were intended for the incumbent senator. The department cited the National Voter Registration Act, saying the suit aims to protect electoral integrity. President Trump told reporters on Friday: "I'm the one that said do it." Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement on October 24 that the department does not seek to stop any ballot from being cast or certification itself; a DOJ spokesperson called the same-name candidacy "frivolous."
Alaska's Division of Elections rejected Daniel J. Sullivan's filing in June, but state courts, including the Alaska Supreme Court, kept him on the ballot. Democratic challenger Mary Peltola, a former U.S. representative, called the lawsuit "desperate" and "clearly corruption." Early voting in Alaska began October 19; Election Day is November 3.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 联邦参议员丹·沙利文官方肖像，美国参议院官方发布（公共领域）。Official U.S. Senate portrait of Sen. Dan Sullivan (public domain).
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