Alaska Urges Dismissal of Federal Election Lawsuit

Alaska State Government Urges Dismissal of Federal Election Lawsuit

Alaska’s Republican-run state government urged U.S. District Court Judge Sharon L. Gleason on Saturday to dismiss a federal lawsuit filed at President Donald Trump’s direction to halt the certification of the state’s pivotal U.S. Senate race. In a scathing court filing, the Alaska attorney general’s office wrote that there is no reason for this Court to entertain this meritless lawsuit any longer.

Arguments Over Ballot Separation and Voter Privacy

The Department of Justice complaint demands that Judge Gleason halt the certification of a possible win by Democrat Mary Peltola. The federal challenge questions whether voters were confused by a second candidate on the ballot named Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., who shares a name with Republican incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan. On Friday, the Justice Department added a request to segregate all ballots showing votes for the second candidate until officials determine whether voters were misled. Alaska state officials countered in their Saturday filing that this demand was both disturbing and impossible to execute without violating voter privacy.

State officials carefully designed the ballot to minimize voter confusion, state lawyers wrote. The Court should immediately dismiss this lawsuit with prejudice and allow state officials to conduct the general election — including ballot counting and certification — free from unwarranted federal interference.

Federal Claims Versus State Authority

The Trump administration maintains that a preamble to a 1990s voter registration law grants federal authorities the responsibility to ensure the integrity of federal elections. Federal prosecutors have issued subpoenas and launched a criminal investigation into the matter, aiming to prevent the Democrat from being declared the victor in a race that could influence control of the U.S. Senate. Conversely, the Alaska Supreme Court ruled this summer that the second candidate, a retired school teacher from Petersburg, met all legal requirements to appear on the ballot. State officials argued that new revelations regarding the Democratic campaign’s reported involvement in recruiting the second candidate do not alter his legal ballot status, adding that not every wrong can be righted in federal court.

Alignment Between State Officials and Civil Rights Groups

Peltola’s campaign and voting rights organizations have also petitioned Judge Gleason to dismiss the case, creating an unusual alliance with Alaska state officials. The American Civil Liberties Union criticized the federal intervention in a separate filing:

Imagine if the federal executive could pluck a few words like ‘election integrity’ from some statutory preamble and, on that basis alone, bend the machinery of state elections to his will, preemptively blocking certification of a U.S. Senate election to protect his preferred candidate from defeat and then subjecting voters to a law-enforcement-led inquest about who they ‘really’ supported. Imagine that world and ask whether it is what the Framers wanted or precisely what they most feared.

Peltola has denied involvement in recruiting the second candidate. Meanwhile, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy announced a separate state probe into the ballot placement following reporting by The New York Times, even as the state government insists the federal lawsuit has no legal foundation.

Judicial Deadlines and Pending Decisions

Judge Gleason set a Saturday deadline for legal arguments regarding whether to dismiss the lawsuit without holding a hearing. The court’s decision will determine whether Alaska can proceed with certifying the general election results or if the federal challenge will force further delays in the contested Senate race.

More on this story: Attorney General Todd Blanche Defends DOJ Lawsuit Over Alaska Election Results

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