Follow-Up: Alaska Election Officials Ask Court to Dismiss DOJ Ballot Name Lawsuit by November 2
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Alaska state election officials have filed a motion asking US District Judge Sharon Gleason to dismiss the Justice Department's lawsuit over the state's Senate ballot by November 2, and to dismiss it with prejudice. GSM previously reported that the Justice Department sued over the ballot listing both incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan and a same-name candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan, arguing voters could be confused; the Peltola campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee had already filed their own motions to dismiss. This filing is the defendant state officials' own motion.
In their motion, state officials note that the Justice Department's own complaint acknowledges the incumbent Dan Sullivan won 41.4% in the primary while Daniel J. Sullivan won 2.5%; that the ballot distinguishes same-name candidates by middle initial, a Jr. suffix and an "incumbent" label; that the same-name issue has nothing to do with the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA); and that investigating individual ballots cast for the namesake candidate would violate ballot secrecy.
Judge Gleason has set an expedited schedule: the federal government must respond by Thursday and the state may reply by Friday. Election Day is November 3, so the timing of a ruling directly affects ballot and counting arrangements.
Related:
DOJ Sues to Block Alaska Senate Certification Pending Probe Into Same-Name Candidate Confusion
Source: GSM · America
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于安克雷奇的 James M. Fitzgerald 联邦大楼（CC BY 2.0，Wikimedia Commons）。The James M. Fitzgerald Federal Building in Anchorage, Alaska (CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons).
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