Trump’s Alaska Election Suit Sparks a Fight Over Who Controls the Vote
Trump’s Alaska Election Suit Sparks a Fight Over Who Controls the Vote
Alaska’s Senate contest became a legal flashpoint after a non-incumbent candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan, won the right to remain on the ballot alongside Republican incumbent Daniel S. Sullivan. State courts required election officials to distinguish the two men, and the Alaska Supreme Court in June upheld that ruling. The ballot identifies the senator as the Republican incumbent; the other Sullivan has no party registration.
With early voting under way, the Justice Department filed suit on Oct. 22 seeking to bar Alaska from certifying the Senate result if the incumbent loses. The administration’s theory is that votes cast for the other Daniel Sullivan may reflect confusion rather than voter intent. President Donald Trump said Friday that the litigation was his call: “I’m the one that said ‘do it.’”
The response has cut across partisan lines. Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said, “The Department of Justice should never have filed this lawsuit.” Democrats and voting-rights organizations are now asking to intervene as defendants, arguing the executive branch has no authority to override state election administration or dictate ballot design and candidate eligibility.
Mary Peltola’s campaign, Alaskans for Mary and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee say the case could deny Peltola office even if she wins under Alaska’s ranked-choice system. They contend voters are being forced into an intolerable choice: elect Trump’s preferred candidate or risk having their state’s result left uncertified.
The League of Women Voters of Alaska and Common Cause raise a broader practical objection. The Justice Department has offered no method for determining what voters meant when they chose Daniel J. Sullivan, they argue. Halting certification on that basis would disenfranchise Alaskans, deny them representation and turn a name dispute into an election-wide constitutional confrontation.
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