Alaska Senate: Ranked Choice Deadline Set for November 18

The Alaska U.S. Senate race will not yield a final winner before November 18, the deadline for counting overseas ballots and completing ranked choice tabulations. Both major candidates urged supporters to wait for the full count late Tuesday evening after initial results showed the race tightening considerably. Neither Democrat Mary Peltola nor Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan has yet secured the 50% plus one threshold of first-choice votes needed to win outright.

Three key factors are delaying the final determination of the winner. First, the state’s ranked choice voting system requires a full recount if no candidate passes the 50% threshold on the first pass. Second, a federal lawsuit filed by the Justice Department to block certification is currently under appeal after a judge dismissed it. Third, the presence of a third candidate with a nearly identical name to the incumbent has created legal and logistical complications in the final vote count.

The Justice Department filed the lawsuit less than two weeks before the election, alleging that the candidacy of retired teacher Dan J. Sullivan confused voters. President Donald Trump called the candidate fake and ordered the suit if the incumbent lost. A federal judge dismissed the case last week, and the Justice Department has appealed that decision. The department also confirmed a criminal investigation into the matter, though Alaska U.S. Attorney Michael Heyman did not specify the potential crimes or targets under review.

Donors to Dan J. Sullivan’s campaign stated that FBI agents have asked them if they felt deceived by the lesser-known candidate. Dan J. Sullivan, who lives in Petersburg, Alaska, won 2.5% of the vote in the August primary. The ballot listed him as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. with no party affiliation, while the incumbent was listed as Dan S. Sullivan, Republican. The New York Times reported that Peltola’s campaign appeared involved in efforts to recruit Dan J. Sullivan, a claim Peltola has denied.

Dan J. Sullivan has also denied any contact with the Peltola campaign and has not returned messages in recent days. Sullivan called the controversy the biggest election cheating scandal in Alaska’s history. He stated that the scheme treats Alaskans with disrespect and questioned Peltola’s denials of involvement in recruiting the third candidate.

The race was expected to determine which party controls the U.S. Senate. Democrats held a majority before polls closed in Alaska on Tuesday. Peltola led early in the count but fell behind as more results came in. Sullivan eventually overtook her, though both remained below the threshold for an outright win. Peltola told supporters at her election night party that the results would not be fast, citing the need to count votes from remote communities and service members overseas.

Sullivan told his supporters in Anchorage that he was confident he would win reelection once all votes were counted. He noted that the process would take time due to the 15-day window for overseas ballots to arrive. The state will determine whether either candidate exceeds 50% or if the ranked choice tabulations will be triggered after all ballots are received by November 18.