Alaska Feds Open Criminal Look Into Ballot Name Mix-Up

U.S. Attorney Michael Heyman confirmed on Friday that federal prosecutors are conducting a criminal investigation into the Alaska Senate race. The probe focuses on a scheme to place a candidate on the ballot with the same name as the Republican incumbent, Dan Sullivan.

The investigation began months ago, but Heyman said it has accelerated recently. He cited a surge in law enforcement resources following reports that the campaign of Democratic nominee Mary Peltola helped recruit Dan J. Sullivan Jr. to run.

Heyman told reporters the team is acting swiftly on credible information about voter deception. The government is now working to separate ballots that rank Dan J. Sullivan to check for confusion with the incumbent senator.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Wilson filed documents on Friday outlining this effort. The filing states the government wants to preserve and isolate these specific votes. The goal is to determine if the rankings resulted from voter confusion, should a deeper look become necessary.

This legal action runs parallel to a civil suit filed by the Justice Department last week. That lawsuit seeks to block the certification of the race if the incumbent loses. The department has also submitted a list of questions for the Peltola campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee regarding their role in recruiting the challenger.

The move comes after the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a similar request from the Justice Department. In that case, the department wanted California to set aside disputed ballots from about 20,000 people it believes may not be citizens. California officials argued the list was unreliable and likely included many citizens.

Peltola denied knowing about the effort to get Dan J. Sullivan on the ballot. Speaking at a rally in Juneau on Thursday, she said she had no idea any other candidate was on the list besides herself and the incumbent. She stated she was not interested in tricking voters.

Dan J. Sullivan has also denied acting at the behest of Democrats. He told the Associated Press in June that he had zero contact with the Peltola campaign. Federal prosecutors issued dozens of grand jury subpoenas and record preservation requests earlier this week.

Republican Governor Mike Dunleavy ordered a separate state investigation into Peltola. He said the recent reporting supports findings from the state elections board about an organized effort to manipulate the election. The governor noted that tricking voters strikes at the integrity of the process.

State attorneys have asked a court to rule on the Justice Department’s lawsuit by Monday. They argue the case could cast a cloud over the election that goes against the public interest. The race is one of a few Senate contests expected to decide control of the chamber.