Justice Department requests separating Alaska ballots that rank Dan J. Sullivan in Senate race

Key Points:

• The Trump administration requested a federal judge to order Alaska election officials to segregate all ballots ranking Senate candidate Dan J. Sullivan to investigate potential voter confusion related to his candidacy in the ranked choice voting system.
• The request follows reports that Democrat Mary Peltola’s campaign allegedly recruited Dan J. Sullivan, a former teacher, to run against Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, which Peltola has denied.
• The Department of Justice has intensified its involvement, filing motions to obtain internal communications from Peltola’s campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee regarding efforts to recruit Dan J. Sullivan.
• U.S. Attorney Michael Heyman confirmed an ongoing criminal investigation connected to the case but declined to disclose details, citing the need to protect the investigation’s integrity.
• President Trump has publicly criticized the ballot situation, claiming the presence of Dan J. Sullivan splits the vote illegally and has urged legal action to remove him from the ballot, while Sen. Dan S. Sullivan has advised voters on how to rank candidates to maximize his chances under Alaska’s ranked choice voting system.