Two Dan Sullivans on One Ballot. How Exactly Does Looking at a Ballot Prove a Voter Was Confused?
The Justice Department wants Alaska to set aside every ballot ranking the second Sullivan. Its filing doesn't say what that would show.
By Dez Marlowe ·
Alaska's Senate ballot lists "Sullivan, Dan S. (Registered Republican) Incumbent" and "Sullivan, Daniel J. Jr." That's not a typo, The Guardian reported.
A New York Times report alleged Mary Peltola's campaign helped recruit the second one. Peltola denies it. The DSCC says it was "not involved." Nobody has been charged, though federal prosecutors confirmed a criminal probe.
Friday, the Justice Department asked a judge to make Alaska "preserve and segregate" every ballot ranking Daniel J. Sullivan, to investigate "whether such ranking was the product of voter confusion."
NBC News pointed out the obvious gap: the filing doesn't explain how reviewing a ballot would show whether the voter was confused. A ranking is a ranking. It doesn't come with a note.
What we still don't know: whether the judge grants it before Monday, what the Peltola and DSCC records show, and whether any of the allegations hold up.
Sources
Dez Marlowe is a Boston Uncut reporter covering Boston, Massachusetts, national and world news.