Federal judge rejects Trump administration bid over Alaska Senate race ballots

The ruling

A federal judge in Anchorage, Sharon Gleason, rejected a request from the Trump administration that sought to stop Alaska from certifying the defeat of Republican Senator Dan Sullivan in the 3 November election. The request was aimed at a scenario in which votes for a candidate with a nearly identical name could change the outcome. The decision was issued on 1 November, two days before polling day. It is the latest setback for the administration's effort to expand federal involvement in elections, a responsibility the US Constitution assigns to the individual states. The ruling addresses the certification process and does not itself decide the contest.

The race

The contest pits Democrat Mary Peltola, a former member of the House of Representatives, against Dan Sullivan, the incumbent Republican senator. Also on the ballot is Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a retired teacher who lives in a remote fishing village and shares the incumbent's name. Peltola has denied involvement in any effort to recruit the retired teacher, saying she has no interest in misleading voters. He has likewise denied seeking to cause confusion, although he has said he would prefer a Peltola victory over the incumbent. A further candidate with limited prospects of winning is also running. Democrats need a net gain of at least four seats to take control of the Senate, which is why the Alaska result could prove decisive for the chamber after the midterm elections.

Why the judge ruled as she did

The judge found that the federal government had not presented a workable plan for separating the ballots cast for Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. and investigating them afterwards. Any such process would have to protect the secrecy of each voter's choice. In her reasoning, the proposed separation would violate the right of voters to a secret ballot. The judge's finding means the administration's proposal could not be used to change the certification of the Alaska result. The Justice Department, the White House and Alaska's state authorities were the parties whose positions the court had to weigh, and the ruling settles that the proposal as presented falls short.

Federal pressure on election administration

The Trump administration has taken an increasingly assertive approach to overseeing elections. It has pressed states to hand over voter registration data and argued that stricter measures are needed to secure public trust in the vote. Critics, including Democrats and some Republican election officials, view these steps as an overreach by the federal government. Running elections is the job of individual states under the Constitution, and the dispute over the Alaska race fits into that wider conflict. The Alaska decision is the latest blow to the administration's push for a larger federal role.

Official reaction and next steps

At the time of reporting, the Justice Department, the White House and Alaska's state authorities had not immediately responded to requests for comment on the decision. The next milestone is the 3 November vote, after which the count and the certification of the Alaska result will follow. Until then, the namesake candidate's ballot share remains the factor the administration had sought to address, and the judge has now ruled against that approach.