THE APEX TIMES
Federal prosecutors in Alaska say a criminal investigation is under way involving a would-be Senate candidate, and the Justice Department asked a judge to require state election officials to isolate ballots that rank incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan. Alaska’s other major statewide figure, Rep. Mary Peltola, denied knowledge of the effort described in the court filings.
Federal prosecutors in Alaska said a criminal investigation is underway tied to an Alaska Senate candidacy that critics described as potentially causing voter confusion. Separate filings in a federal case also show the U.S. Department of Justice asked a judge to order Alaska election officials to isolate ballots that rank incumbent Sen. Dan J. Sullivan, the two-term Republican, while the dispute and investigation proceed.
According to PBS NewsHour Politics, Alaska’s top federal prosecutor said the criminal probe was in progress and connected to concerns that voters could be misled when ranking candidates on the state’s ranked-choice voting ballot. The reporting describes the scrutiny as focused on a would-be spoiler Senate candidate who shares the name Dan J. Sullivan.
In the same PBS report, the Justice Department’s request is described as being filed as part of an ongoing lawsuit launched last week. DOJ asked the federal judge to require that state election officials segregate ballots that contain rankings for Dan J. Sullivan, so investigators and the court can examine whether those ballots were affected by the alleged voter confusion tied to the would-be candidate’s appearance on the ballot.
The NPR report similarly described DOJ’s request to isolate certain Alaska ballots while the criminal probe continues. The Hill also reported that Rep. Mary Peltola, a Democrat, denied knowing about the would-be spoiler candidate Dan J. Sullivan, responding to questions about whether political actors had knowledge of the situation that became central to DOJ’s court filing.
The practical effect of DOJ’s request, as described by the coverage, is to create a separation between ballots that include the disputed ranking and other ballots, limiting how those ballots are handled until the court and investigators address the underlying claims. Election administration officials typically rely on court orders in such circumstances to ensure ballots are preserved and treated consistently while legal questions about eligibility, conduct, or voter understanding are resolved.
Because the descriptions in the coverage reference both an active criminal investigation and a federal lawsuit filed last week, the case is unfolding on two tracks: a criminal matter handled by prosecutors, and a civil-equitable request directed at ballot handling through court supervision. Any order issued by the judge would determine how quickly election officials can proceed with regular tabulation procedures involving ballots that rank the relevant candidate.
Peltola’s denial, as reported by The Hill, addresses political knowledge and intent, issues that may be raised by the parties in court but are distinct from the narrow election-administration question DOJ sought to litigate: how to handle ballots that include a particular ranking while the investigation and legal claims play out.
