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Justice Department Seeks Ballot Isolation in Alaska Senate Race
· Confirmed
In Short: The U.S. Department of Justice is pushing for a court order to isolate certain Alaska ballots to investigate potential voter confusion over a Senate candidate with the same name as the Republican incumbent.
The U.S. Department of Justice is seeking a court order to isolate certain Alaska ballots to investigate potential voter confusion over a Senate candidate who shares a name with the Republican incumbent, Dan J. Sullivan. The move comes amid a criminal probe into allegations that a Democratic campaign team recruited another candidate named Dan J. Sullivan to run in the race, potentially confusing voters.
At a news conference, U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the department's push for the court order, citing a 'substantial risk' that the confusion could impact the integrity of the election process. Blanche did not specify what potential crimes the investigation is targeting but emphasized the need for public cooperation in providing information that could assist investigators.
Mary Peltola, the Democratic U.S. Senate nominee, has denied any involvement in confusing voters. She stated, 'I am not interested in tricking voters,' and said she had no knowledge of other candidates on the ballot except for herself and the incumbent. Peltola's campaign maintains that she had no role in recruiting the other Dan J. Sullivan to run for the Senate seat.
The Justice Department has also begun issuing subpoenas targeting Democratic officials allegedly connected to the effort to recruit the other Dan J. Sullivan. President Donald Trump has called for the criminal prosecution of Peltola and her campaign, dubbing the maneuver 'voter fraud at the highest level.'
Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy has ordered a probe into the matter, directing the Alaska Department of Public Safety to investigate after a New York Times report detailed an alleged effort involving people connected to Peltola's campaign and national Democrats. Dunleavy said, 'If I could fire them again, I’d be happy to fire them again,' referring to those involved in the alleged scheme.
The Justice Department's action in Alaska follows similar efforts in other states, such as Nevada, where the DOJ initially claimed to have found 16,000 noncitizen voters but later reduced the number to 185. In Alaska, the department has asked a judge to order state elections officials to isolate ballots ranking the other Dan J. Sullivan for potential investigation.
Separately, the Justice Department has filed a lawsuit seeking to block the certification of the Alaska Senate race if the Republican incumbent loses to Peltola. The lawsuit argues that the presence of two candidates with the same name poses a significant risk to the integrity of the election process.
The federal appeals court has again refused to order California to set aside more than 20,000 mail-in ballots, and the Justice Department has widened its subpoenas in both California and Alaska. The court's decision in California does not affect the ongoing investigation in Alaska.
What this adds
The Justice Department's push for ballot isolation in Alaska is part of a broader investigation into alleged voter confusion and potential voter fraud. The department has issued at least three dozen new subpoenas and document preservation requests as part of its probe.
The investigation in Alaska is distinct from the ongoing ballot segregation efforts in other states, such as Nevada, where the DOJ initially claimed to have found 16,000 noncitizen voters but later reduced the number to 185.
Background
The Justice Department's action in Washington follows similar efforts in other states, such as Nevada, where the DOJ initially claimed to have found 16,000 noncitizen voters but later reduced the number to 185.
What's confirmed
- Heyman holds a news conference on a criminal investigation related to an alleged scheme to confuse voters by putting a Senate candidate on the ballot with the same name as the Republican incumbent, at the James M.
- The U.S. Department of Justice is pushing for a court order to isolate certain Alaska ballots to investigate potential voter confusion, while federal officials confirmed the existence of a criminal probe over a Senate candidate who shares a name with the Republican incumbent.
- Peltola says she is not interested in “tricking voters.” A sample election ballot is displayed in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday, Oct.
- Bryan Wilson, in a filing, said the government "seeks to preserve and segregate all ballots ranking Daniel J. Sullivan for the purposes of investigating whether such ranking was the product of voter confusion, should such an investigation become necessary."
- "significant surge of law enforcement assets to Alaska."
- Justice Department attorneys in the Alaska case said there is a "substantial risk" that Dan J.
- They have asked a judge to dismiss the case and said Alaska elections officials already took steps to distinguish the two Sullivans on the ballot.
- He said he had not and that "Everybody knows who the incumbent is."
- President Donald Trump has said he told the department to file the case.
- Sullivan to investigate potential voter “confusion” with the senator.
- Separately, the Justice Department — as part of a lawsuit it filed last week — asked a judge to order that state elections officials isolate ballots ranking Dan J.
- The Justice Department has begun issuing a new wave of subpoenas stemming from an ongoing criminal probe of Alaska's U.S. Senate race and alleged efforts by Democrats to recruit a candidate with the same name as Republican incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan, multiple sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
What's still developing
- Read more Dardanelle Middle School honor roll A sample election ballot is displayed in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday, Oct.
- October 26, 2026 by James Brooks, Alaska Beacon An official with the Anchorage Police Department said Monday that there is no evidence that Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mary Peltola was deliberately targeted in a weekend car accident that injured her and members of her family.
- “Clearly, folks are gone, they’re gone for a good reason,” she said.
- Sources told ABC News that DOJ prosecutors are probing "whether the behind-the-scenes maneuvering to include Dan J. Sullivan's name on the ballot could violate potential federal conspiracy statutes."
- The Justice Department has issued at least three dozen new subpoenas and document preservation requests as part of its probe into the Alaska Senate race, a U.S. official confirmed to NBC News on Thursday.
- Millions of Americans have already cast their ballots ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, with early voting figures beginning to reveal trends that could influence the battle for control of the US House of Representatives and Senate.