Alaska DOJ Opens Criminal Probe Into Senate Ballot Name Conflict

The U.S. Department of Justice opened a criminal and civil investigation on Friday into a potential scheme to confuse voters in the Alaska Senate race. The inquiry focuses on a ballot that lists two candidates with the name Dan Sullivan. One is the Republican incumbent, Dan S. Sullivan. The other is Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a retired schoolteacher with no prior political experience.

U.S. Attorney Michael Heyman confirmed the investigations during a news conference in Anchorage. He cited reporting from The New York Times which alleged that the campaign of Democrat Mary Peltola and national party officials orchestrated the recruitment of the challenger. Heyman described the effort as a sprawling conspiracy to prop up a sham candidate. He stated that federal law enforcement assets have increased in Alaska as investigators take steps across the country.

The Department of Justice filed a separate request asking a federal judge to order state officials to isolate all ballots ranking Daniel J. Sullivan. Assistant U.S. Attorney E. Bryan Wilson explained that the government wants to preserve these ballots to determine if voter confusion occurred. The agency also sought a preliminary injunction to block the certification of the election result if the incumbent loses to Peltola because of the name overlap on the ballot.

Mary Peltola denied knowledge of the effort on Thursday. Speaking to supporters in Juneau, she said she was not interested in tricking voters. She claimed she knew nothing about any other candidate on the ballot except herself and the incumbent. Subpoenas for documents and grand jury testimony were issued following the New York Times report. A person familiar with the matter told the Associated Press that more subpoenas were expected.

The race is a key contest for control of the Senate in next week's midterm elections. Democrats currently hold 47 seats to the Republicans' 53. Recent polls show Peltola leading in Alaska. Before the August primary, state election authorities tried to disqualify the challenger, but the state supreme court allowed him to stay on the ballot. He placed in the top four vote-getters in the non-partisan primary.

Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy announced his own criminal investigation on Friday. He said the new evidence supports an organized effort to manipulate the election by recruiting candidates with the incumbent's name to misdirect votes. President Donald Trump also weighed in on Thursday, casting doubt on whether Peltola would be seated if she won. He suggested she should be removed from the ballot and prosecuted.