Alaska Federal Prosecutor Confirms Criminal Probe Into Senate Ballot Confusion

Alaska voters face a Senate race where a Democratic challenger shares the exact name of the Republican incumbent, a situation federal prosecutors say has triggered a criminal investigation. U.S. Attorney Michael Heyman confirmed on Friday that authorities are actively probing an alleged scheme designed to confuse voters by placing Dan J. Sullivan Jr. on the ballot alongside Senator Dan Sullivan.

The department has requested that courts segregate all ballots ranking Dan J. Sullivan to determine if voters intended to choose the incumbent or the challenger. Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Wilson filed documents stating the government wants to preserve these specific ballots to investigate whether the rankings resulted from voter confusion. The filing argues that these precautionary steps are necessary before Election Day to ensure the integrity of the electoral process.

Heyman stated that the investigation has been ongoing for several months but gained momentum after a New York Times report suggested the campaign of Democratic candidate Mary Peltola helped recruit the junior challenger. He described a surge of law enforcement resources to Alaska as credible information emerged. Heyman said the department is acting swiftly on information regarding efforts to deceive voters, though he declined to specify the exact crimes under investigation or name the targets of the probe.

Peltola denied any knowledge of the recruitment effort during a campaign rally in Juneau. She told supporters that she knew nothing about another candidate on the ballot aside from herself and the incumbent. "I am not interested in tricking voters," she said. Dan J. Sullivan Jr. has also maintained he had no contact with Peltola’s campaign, describing their interaction as nonexistent since announcing his run in June.

The criminal probe runs parallel to a civil lawsuit filed by the Justice Department last week. That suit seeks to block the certification of the Senate race if Senator Sullivan loses. Federal attorneys argued in court filings that there is a substantial risk the similar names will mislead voters. They requested expedited consideration because the opportunity to segregate ballots will vanish once the election concludes.

State officials have pushed back against the federal intervention. Alaska’s attorneys argued that elections officials already took steps to distinguish the two Sullivans on the ballot. They noted that the state’s ranked voting system further addresses concerns about potential confusion. The state has asked a court to rule on the federal lawsuit by Monday, arguing the case could cast a cloud over the election contrary to the public interest.

Republican Governor Mike Dunleavy ordered a separate state investigation into Peltola, citing the newspaper report as evidence of an organized effort to manipulate the election. He said the reporting supports earlier findings by the state elections board. President Donald Trump also questioned whether Peltola would be seated in the Senate if she won, telling reporters in South Carolina that it is hard to believe she could be allowed to run.