Justice Department sues Alaska over Senate candidate names
Lawsuit says two candidates named Sullivan could confuse voters
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Gray DC) - The U.S. Department of Justice is suing Alaska over the handling of the state’s U.S. Senate election, according to a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration.
The lawsuit seeks to prevent certification of the election results in the race for Alaska’s Senate seat.
The lawsuit centers on two candidates in the race who share similar names: incumbent Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, a Republican, and a candidate named Daniel J. Sullivan.
According to the filing, the Justice Department is suing because it said it is in the interest of the federal government to protect the integrity of elections.
The lawsuit describes Daniel J. Sullivan’s candidacy as frivolous and intended to confuse voters with incumbent Dan S. Sullivan, which it says could hand the Senate seat to Democrat Mary Peltola.
The lawsuit includes the two candidates’ campaign logos as examples.
A sample ballot included as evidence in the lawsuit lists candidates alphabetically. Dan S. Sullivan’s entry is listed with the terms “registered Republican” and “incumbent.” Daniel J. Sullivan’s entry has no modifiers, according to the lawsuit.
President Donald Trump traveled to Wasilla for a rally in support of incumbent Sen. Dan S. Sullivan Oct. 13.
“Well, I’m the one who said do it. They have two guys, run, named Dan Sullivan,” Trump said.
Election experts said lawsuits like this one are rare. They said they could not recall a previous example of one, and said the lawsuit relies on a novel reading of the National Voter Registration Act.
Alaska asks voters to rank their choices on the ballots.
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