Federal court blocks Alaska vote certification suit

A federal judge ruled on Sunday that the Trump administration cannot stop Alaska officials from certifying the state's U.S. Senate election results. U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason dismissed the government's lawsuit, finding that the federal government did not have the legal standing to bring the case. The decision clears the path for state officials to finalize the tally in a closely watched race where two candidates share similar names.

The Justice Department filed the suit under the preamble of the National Voter Registration Act. The complaint asked the court to pause the certification process to allow for an investigation into whether voters were confused by the presence of two similarly named candidates on the ranked-choice ballot. The two candidates are Republican incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan and independent candidate Daniel Sullivan Jr.

Judge Gleason, who was nominated by former President Barack Obama, focused her ruling on the potential impact on voters. She concluded that a court order stopping the count would likely violate the constitutional right to a secret ballot. "The absence of any explanation from the United States as to how its requested relief could redress its alleged injury while simultaneously maintaining the secrecy of the ballot is telling," Gleason wrote in her decision.

The administration signaled it will contest the ruling. Kiersten Pels, a Justice Department spokesperson, told NPR in a statement that the department plans to appeal. "Alaskan voters deserve a fair election, not to be misled in an attempt to rig outcomes," Pels said.

President Trump stated he ordered the lawsuit because of the naming confusion on the ballot. He noted that out of four Senate candidates, two have similar names. This legal effort followed an earlier state court battle where the Alaska Republican Party tried to keep Daniel Sullivan Jr. off the ballot. In June, the Alaska Supreme Court rejected that effort, ruling the non-incumbent had the right to run.

Allegations that Democratic operatives recruited Sullivan Jr. to spoil the incumbent's chances have circulated widely. A report by The New York Times detailed these efforts, a claim the network has not independently confirmed. The scrutiny has intensified political pressure on state leaders. Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy ordered an investigation and suggested the state might delay certification depending on the findings. "If we find out there's wrongdoing, and if that means that the certification then is stopped or changed, then that's what happens," Dunleavy told NewsNation on October 30.

U.S. Attorney Michael Heyman confirmed during an October 30 press conference in Anchorage that the Justice Department is conducting an ongoing criminal probe. The Democratic candidate in the race, former Rep. Mary Peltola, has denied any involvement in recruiting the independent candidate.

Voting rights organizations welcomed the federal court's dismissal. Sophia Lin Lakin, director of the ACLU's Voting Rights Project, called the Justice Department's move lawless. "It was a reckless waste of taxpayer money aimed at silencing hundreds of thousands of Alaska voters," she said in a statement. The ruling provides a clear legal framework for the state to proceed with counting the ballots.

In an interview with CNN's State of the Union on Sunday, Sen. Sullivan said he would accept the election results regardless of the outcome. The legal dispute has not halted voter participation. According to the Alaska Division of Elections, more than 86,700 voters cast ballots during the early voting period. Voting continues through Tuesday's Election Day.

The state's next step is to process the remaining ballots and move toward certification. The Justice Department has not set a specific deadline for filing its appeal. State officials are currently reviewing the federal court order to determine the immediate procedural impact on the count.