Alaska Senate Race: Federal Judge Blocks Trump Bid to Halt Certification

Alaska voters will see their ballots counted as scheduled after a federal judge rejected the Trump administration's effort to freeze the certification of the state's Senate race. The ruling removes a federal hurdle that threatened to delay the final results if the Republican incumbent, Sen. Dan Sullivan, does not defeat his Democratic opponent.

U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason issued the decision on Sunday. She found that the federal government did not have the legal authority to bring the lawsuit. The administration had cited the preamble of the National Voter Registration Act. Its primary goal was to stop state officials from certifying the election results. This pause was intended to allow for an investigation into potential voter confusion caused by two similarly named candidates on the ranked-choice ballot.

Gleason concluded that granting the order would likely violate Alaskan voters' right to a secret ballot. She noted a lack of explanation from the United States on how its requested relief could fix the alleged injury while keeping the ballot secret. Gleason, a nominee of former President Barack Obama, wrote that this absence of explanation was telling.

The Justice Department plans to appeal the decision. Kiersten Pels, a department spokesperson, told NPR that Alaskan voters deserve a fair election and should not be misled in an attempt to rig outcomes. Voting rights groups that helped defend Alaska against the lawsuit welcomed the ruling. Sophia Lin Lakin, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Voting Rights Project, described the Department of Justice attempt as lawless from the start. She called it a reckless waste of taxpayer money aimed at silencing hundreds of thousands of Alaska voters.

The dispute stems from the presence of Sen. Dan Sullivan and independent candidate Daniel Sullivan Jr. on the ballot. President Trump said he ordered the lawsuit because the similar names could confuse voters. Alaska's Republican Party had previously tried to remove Sullivan Jr. from the ballot in state court. The Alaska Supreme Court ruled in June that Sullivan Jr. has the right to run. Republican allegations that Democrats propped up Sullivan Jr. to spoil the incumbent's chances have persisted since then.

A New York Times report regarding Democratic campaign operatives recruiting Sullivan Jr. drew new attention to these claims. Alaska's Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy has ordered an investigation and indicated that the state may not certify the results depending on how that probe turns out. Dunleavy told NewsNation on October 30 that if wrongdoing is found, the certification will be stopped or changed. U.S. Attorney Michael Heyman confirmed at an October 30 press conference in Anchorage that an ongoing criminal probe exists.

Former Rep. Mary Peltola, the Democratic candidate, has denied any involvement in the recruitment efforts. Incumbent Sullivan said in a Sunday interview with CNN's State of the Union that he will accept the election results regardless of the outcome. More than 86,700 voters have already cast their ballots during early voting, according to Alaska's Division of Elections. Voting continues through Tuesday's Election Day.