Alaska Governor Orders Probe Into Senate Ballot Confusion

ANCHORAGE, Alaska. Governor Mike Dunleavy directed the state Department of Public Safety on Wednesday night to investigate the U.S. Senate race. The probe will determine if the presence of a non-incumbent candidate named Dan Sullivan violated Alaska laws. The governor’s order comes after a New York Times report detailed efforts by Democratic aides to recruit the challenger. The race is a toss-up that could decide which party controls the chamber next year.

The New York Times story cites interviews and communications between attorneys and advisers for Democratic candidate Mary Peltola. It also includes input from senior aides at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. The report alleges these operatives worked to put a second Dan Sullivan on the ballot. Republicans have long claimed this candidate serves as a spoiler to confuse voters. The incumbent, also named Dan Sullivan, is the Republican senator.

NPR has not independently confirmed the Times’ reporting, but the story has stirred the campaign just days before Election Day. Peltola, a former congresswoman, is seeking to flip the seat for her party. Both the Peltola campaign and the DSCC reiterated their long-standing denials of involvement in the non-incumbent’s candidacy. Peltola called the story a distraction while campaigning Wednesday. The non-incumbent Sullivan did not respond to requests for comment, though he has previously stated the decision to run was his own.

Republican leaders reacted quickly to the news. Nate Adams, a spokesperson for Sen. Sullivan, issued a statement accusing Peltola of gaslighting Alaskans. President Trump posted online that the situation constitutes voter fraud at the highest level. The Justice Department under Trump had already sought to intervene in the race. Last week, the department asked a court to delay certification if Sullivan loses by a small margin. That legal effort cited potential voter confusion caused by the duplicate name on the ballot.

Election law experts broadly criticized the Justice Department’s case as weak. They noted that the Constitution grants states control over their elections. State officials had previously probed the dual candidacies. The Alaska Supreme Court ruled in June that the non-incumbent Sullivan could appear on the general election ballot. Justice Department officials said Thursday that the Times’ story expands their options for investigating the race. They filed an amended complaint citing the new reporting.

Elaine Kamarck, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, told NPR that trickery is standard fare for campaigns. She noted that the internet makes it easy to spread information about such tricks. Some voters compared the new reporting to Republican groups supporting a Democrat who is a federal prisoner in New York but appears on Alaska’s U.S. House ballot. The non-incumbent Sullivan advanced to the general election after Alaska’s nonpartisan primary sent the top four vote-getters to the fall ballot.

Residents in Alaska expressed mixed reactions to the coverage. Some are frustrated that the issue draws attention away from other matters. Others are skeptical that voters will be confused by the names. The ballot clearly notes which Sullivan is the Republican incumbent. Experts point out that the intense news coverage may actually reduce confusion. Because the state uses ranked-choice voting, voters can rank both Sullivans and leave Peltola unranked if they wish. The general election ballot also asks voters if they want to keep the state’s unique election system.