Peltola campaign sues Alaska election officials, seeking data about absentee ballots that may be rejected

Key Points:

• Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola's campaign sued Alaska elections officials seeking access to absentee ballot records, alleging violations of the Alaska Public Records Act to ensure transparency and accuracy in vote counting.
• The Alaska Department of Law opposes the lawsuit, stating state law does not require releasing preliminary absentee ballot data, which has traditionally been kept confidential to avoid delays and protect the integrity of the counting process.
• The closely contested Senate race has Peltola leading Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan by 637 votes, with tens of thousands of ballots still uncounted; final results and certification are expected by late November using ranked-choice voting.
• The lawsuit challenges the Division of Elections' refusal to provide absentee ballot "accept or reject" codes and reasons for ballot rejections, arguing the campaign needs this information to verify that all lawful votes are counted.
• This state lawsuit follows a recent federal case initiated by the U.S. Department of Justice under President Trump, which sought to halt certification if Sullivan loses narrowly; that case was dismissed but is currently under appeal with resolution expected well after the election certification.