Trump administration renews bid to block Alaska election results

What the report says

The US Department of Justice has filed a revised lawsuit aimed at stopping Alaska from certifying its US Senate election results if Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan loses narrowly. The case, reported by Al Jazeera on Thursday ahead of the November 3 midterm election, argues that Democratic operatives tried to mislead voters by backing a candidate with the same name as Sullivan to split the vote.

According to the report, the renewed legal push was triggered by a New York Times article alleging that members of Democrat Mary Peltola’s campaign helped recruit retired teacher Dan J Sullivan Jr. to run as a spoiler candidate. Peltola has denied involvement. The Justice Department said it issued 40 subpoenas and document preservation requests as part of the amended complaint, while Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy ordered a criminal investigation into the allegations.

The dispute comes in a race that could help decide control of the US Senate. Alaska’s election office and state courts have already taken steps to limit voter confusion between the two candidates with similar names. Legal experts and critics cited by Al Jazeera questioned whether the federal government has authority to intervene in state election administration, which under the US Constitution is generally left to the states. The article also noted that recruiting spoiler candidates is usually legal and has been used by both parties in Alaska.