Trump admin sues to block Alaska Senate certification if Dan Sullivan loses amid ballot confusion dispute
A challenge over certification
The article says the incumbent would have won if votes for Daniel J. Sullivan had been counted for him. The Justice Department says certifying an election result affected by the confusion would violate the National Voter Registration Act.
Candidates on ranked ballot
Sen. Dan Sullivan and Daniel J. Sullivan are both on the general election ballot, which also includes Peltola and Republican Gerald Heikes. The race will be decided using ranked-choice voting.
Alaska courts allowed Daniel J. Sullivan to stay on the ballot. The lawsuit challenges certification under those circumstances, rather than the court decision described in the article.
Alaska’s election system
Alaska voters approved a change to the election system in 2020, and the state first used ranked-choice voting in 2022. Moving away from party primaries was intended to curtail polarization.
The state has had unusual election outcomes before. In 2010, Sen. Lisa Murkowski won reelection through a write-in campaign after losing the GOP primary.
Key points
- The Trump administration is suing to block certification if incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan does not win reelection.
- Daniel J. Sullivan, Sen. Dan Sullivan, Peltola and Gerald Heikes are on the ranked-choice ballot.
- Alaska courts permitted Daniel J. Sullivan to remain on the ballot.
- Alaska first used ranked-choice voting in 2022.