Judge dismisses Alaska Senate suit

U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason dismissed a federal lawsuit filed by the Trump administration on Sunday. The suit sought to block the certification of results in the Alaska U.S. Senate race if Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan loses. The government argued that two candidates with similar names confused voters on the ranked-choice ballot.

Gleason, a nominee of former President Barack Obama, ruled that the federal government lacks standing to bring the case. The Department of Justice cited the preamble of the National Voter Registration Act to support its position. The judge found the argument insufficient to override state election procedures.

The ruling centers on the right to a secret ballot. Gleason wrote that the government failed to explain how pausing certification would fix the alleged injury while preserving ballot secrecy. She noted the lack of explanation from the United States was telling in this context.

The Justice Department plans to appeal the decision. Spokesperson Kiersten Pels told NPR in a statement that Alaskan voters deserve a fair election. Pels added that voters should not be misled in an attempt to rig outcomes.

Voting rights groups welcomed the ruling. Sophia Lin Lakin, director of the ACLU's Voting Rights Project, called the DOJ's attempt lawless from the start. She described the suit as a reckless waste of taxpayer money aimed at silencing hundreds of thousands of Alaska voters.

President Trump said he ordered the lawsuit because two of the four Senate candidates share a similar name. The candidates are incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan and Daniel Sullivan Jr., who runs as an independent. Alaska's Republican Party had previously tried to keep Sullivan Jr. off the ballot in state court. The Alaska Supreme Court rejected that effort in June, ruling Sullivan Jr. has the right to run.

Republican officials have long alleged that Democrats propped up Sullivan Jr. to spoil Sullivan's reelection chances. A New York Times report detailing Democratic campaign efforts to recruit Sullivan Jr. drew new attention to those claims, though NPR has not independently confirmed the details. Gov. Mike Dunleavy has ordered an investigation into the race.

Dunleavy indicated the state may not certify the results depending on the investigation's outcome. He told NewsNation on Oct. 30 that if wrongdoing is found, certification might be stopped or changed. U.S. Attorney Michael Heyman announced an ongoing criminal probe by the Justice Department at a press conference in Anchorage on the same day.

Democratic candidate Mary Peltola has denied any involvement in the situation. In a Sunday interview with CNN's State of the Union, incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan said he would accept the election results whether he wins or loses.

Voting in Alaska continues through Tuesday's Election Day. More than 86,700 voters have cast ballots during early voting, according to Alaska's Division of Elections.