Sullivan Campaign Seeks Court Intervention in Peltola Ballot Records Dispute

The campaign of Republican Senator Dan Sullivan filed a motion on Monday to intervene in a lawsuit filed by Democratic challenger Mary Peltola. The legal filing argues that the current suit seeks to compel Alaska elections officials to deviate from state law regarding the release of specific voting records.

Peltola's team sued the Alaska Division of Elections on Friday. The suit demands access to records for absentee ballots that were preliminarily rejected. The Division of Elections responded that individual voters have not yet been notified of these rejections. Officials stated it would be improper to grant the campaign access to that information before the voters themselves receive notice.

Sullivan and Peltola remain in a tight contest for Alaska's U.S. Senate seat following last week's midterm election. As of Monday, Peltola held a lead of just over 600 votes. More than 25 percent of the total votes were still pending count.

Nate Adams, a spokesperson for the Sullivan campaign, characterized the lawsuit as an attempt to alter the rules while votes are being counted. "It should surprise no one that the same D.C. lawyers who spent more than a year conspiring with Mary Peltola's campaign to deceive Alaskan voters are now asking a court to let her campaign ignore Alaska law," Adams said.

Adams added that the legal action suggests a lack of confidence in the candidate's position. "Peltola's lawsuit is only further evidence that she is not confident she can win on the merits alone," he said. He stated the campaign is following Alaska precedent to ensure every legally cast ballot is counted. Adams expressed confidence that Sullivan will win once the counting process is complete.

The legal dispute occurs amid ongoing Republican criticism of a ballot listing for an independent candidate named Daniel J. Sullivan. Republicans described this as a "Decoy Dan" scheme intended to siphon votes from the incumbent. Governor Mike Dunleavy, a Republican, noted that the other Sullivan initially sought to appear on the ballot using the incumbent's middle initial.

Dunleavy said the Division of Elections investigated the candidacy and initially determined it was not legitimate. A subsequent court case resulted in a Supreme Court ruling that allowed the independent candidate on the ballot. Following a New York Times report linking knowledge of the scheme to Peltola's campaign, the governor reopened the investigation into possible wrongdoing.