The Department of Justice (DOJ) could scrutinize individual ballots in Alaska if the midterm results suggest that voter confusion may have affected Republican Senator Dan Sullivan’s reelection bid, Attorney General Todd Blanche said Tuesday. Asked on Fox News what would trigger further DOJ action, Blanche pointed to Alaska’s ranked-choice voting system and described a scenario in which Sullivan loses but ballots raise questions about whether voters intended to support him rather than Dan J. Sullivan, an undeclared candidate and retired teacher who shares the incumbent's name.
Asked what circumstances could trigger further DOJ action, Blanche told Fox News' Martha MacCallum: “There’s a scenario where the incumbent, Senator Sullivan, could lose, but really he didn’t lose because of ranked-choice voting. If it’s clear that voters were confused, and again, that’s why you need to preserve these ballots.” He added that authorities could potentially “look at the individual ballots” to determine whether there was evidence of voter confusion. Democrat Mary Peltola was leading Senator Sullivan in the latest poll of the race, but by a narrower margin than earlier this month, suggesting that the ballot controversy involving a namesake challenger to the incumbent has dented but not derailed her campaign.
The comments come as the DOJ’s scrutiny of the Alaska race intensifies. The department has sent letters to about 20 Democrats, including election lawyer Marc Elias, informing them that they may be targets of a criminal investigation into how Dan J. Sullivan ended up on the ballot, according to reports.
The New York Times first reported last Tuesday that the DOJ sent target letters to Democrats as part of its investigation into the race. NBC News reported that the correspondence included target letters and requests that third parties preserve records. A target letter does not mean the recipient has been charged or necessarily will be charged.
The investigation reportedly concerns potential donor fraud and conspiracy. Newsweek has reached out to the DOJ via email on Tuesday afternoon for comment. This is a breaking news article.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Gabe Whisnant and Dave Siminoff.
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