A judge rejects records request as Peltola campaign loses court fight over absentee ballots, maintains narrow lead
Court denies records request
The Peltola campaign sued last week, seeking details on which absentee ballots had been marked for rejection and the reasons behind those decisions. An Alaska judge ruled against the request on Wednesday as counting continued in the state’s final uncalled Senate contest.
The judge wrote that the request was not reasonable or required at that point in the election cycle. The ruling also said the timing could not have been worse.
State cites voter privacy
State attorneys argued that the requested records were not public, pointing to voters’ privacy interests. Assistant Attorney General Margaret Paton-Walsh said absentee voters may not want to be publicly identified as having made an error on a ballot.
The campaign sought information about rejected ballots while election officials were still processing votes. The court did not grant access to those records.
Lead narrows during counting
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy has outlined legal disputes affecting the contest between incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democratic challenger Peltola. The article does not provide updated vote totals.
Key points
- An Alaska judge denied the Peltola campaign’s request for rejected absentee ballot records.
- The campaign had sued for details on which ballots were flagged and why.
- State attorneys cited voter privacy in arguing the records were not public.
- Wednesday night’s ballot update reduced Peltola’s narrow lead as counting continued.