Alaska Ballots: Federal Criminal Probe Launched Into Senate Name Match

ANCHORAGE, Alaska. U.S. Attorney Michael Heyman confirmed on Friday that federal prosecutors are running a criminal investigation into a Senate ballot scheme involving two candidates named Sullivan. The inquiry has been active for several months, but Heyman reported a major increase in law enforcement resources sent to the state after reporting this week indicated Democratic candidate Mary Peltola's campaign helped recruit the second candidate.

The Justice Department filed court papers Friday asking a judge to isolate ballots that rank Dan J. Sullivan. Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Wilson wrote that the government wants to preserve these votes to determine whether they were cast because of voter confusion. Federal prosecutors also submitted a list of questions they intend to ask Peltola's campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee regarding the recruitment of the challenger.

The request to separate ballots is part of a civil suit the Justice Department filed last week. That suit seeks to stop certification of the Alaska Senate race if Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan loses. Federal attorneys argue there is a risk that having two candidates named Dan Sullivan on the ballot will mislead voters. State lawyers countered that Alaska election officials already worked to separate the two names on the ballot and that the ranked voting system prevents confusion.

Federal investigators are seeking to preserve records related to the case. Prosecutors issued dozens of grand jury subpoenas and record requests this week, according to a person familiar with the matter. Heyman declined to identify the targets of the probe or the specific crimes under review.

Peltola said Thursday she had no role in placing the second Sullivan on the ballot. "I knew nothing about any other candidate on the ballot except for me and the incumbent," Peltola said during a rally in Juneau. "I am not interested in tricking voters." Dan J. Sullivan has previously denied working with Democrats, saying in June that contact with Peltola's campaign was "Zero, none, zilch."

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy ordered a state investigation into the matter. Dunleavy said reports of recruiting a candidate with the incumbent's name show an organized effort to confuse voters. The Justice Department's request to segregate ballots was filed the same day the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a federal request to set aside 20,000 California ballots sent to people the administration contends may not be U.S. citizens.

State attorneys have asked a court to rule on the federal lawsuit by Monday. Federal prosecutors filed the request to isolate ballots in a court filing on Friday.