Election results for an Alaska Senate race should not be certified if the Republican incumbent loses, federal officials said in a new lawsuit.
Sen. Daniel S. Sullivan (R-Alaska) is vying in the general election with three challengers, including independent candidate Dan Sullivan and Democrat Mary Peltola.
The only purpose of Dan Sullivan’s candidacy is to confuse voters and mislead supporters of Daniel Sullivan to vote for him, which will make it easier for Peltola to win, Department of Justice lawyers said in the Oct. 22 lawsuit.
They cited a law that says state officials must “protect the integrity of the electoral process” and a Supreme Court ruling that concluded states have an interest in excluding “frivolous or fraudulent candidacies.”
“Should Alaska certify any electoral results tainted by the inclusion on the ballot of Daniel J. Sullivan … the State and its officers will fail in its obligation to protect the integrity of its election,” the filing says.
The results should not be certified if two factors are met, the Trump administration said. One is Daniel Sullivan losing. The other is if all the votes that went to Dan Sullivan would result in Daniel Sullivan’s win if counted for the incumbent.
Officials asked a federal judge in Alaska to declare that certifying the result in that scenario would violate state officials’ responsibility under federal law to protect the integrity of the electoral process. State officials should be blocked from certifying the result, pending an investigation that would determine whether votes for Dan Sullivan were meant for the senator.
State defendants did not immediately return a request for comment.
Election official Carol Beecher said over the summer that Dan Sullivan was ineligible to run because he did not file his candidacy in good faith.
An Alaskan judge, though, later ordered Dan Sullivan’s name to appear on the ballot, and the Alaska Supreme Court upheld the ruling.
This is a developing story that will be updated.
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