Daniel S. Sullivan represents Alaska in the US Congress. The former soldier is 61 years old and a Republican.
Daniel J. Sullivan is a Democrat and eight years older than him. The former elementary school teacher loves hunting and fishing and has never held political office. However, he will compete with his namesake in the midterm elections. Is this a coincidence? Or is it a ploy to mislead voters in favor of the Democratic candidate?
What is the purpose of the "fake" Sullivan?
The Donald Trump administration has already been talking about election fraud, according to the German public broadcaster ARD. And the Justice Department has launched an investigation. Attorney Michael Heyman said that after information published in the "New York Times", the investigation was intensified. Democrats are accused of having nominated a hopeless candidate only to harm the Republican who currently holds the position.
They were purposefully looking for a person named Daniel Sullivan to take votes away from the current senator. Democratic candidate Mary Peltola denies that she initiated this move or that she knew about it at all.
The possible attempt at election fraud is also attracting attention because the current senator Sullivan and his rival Peltola have almost equal support in the polls. And the election result in Alaska may be decisive for the future majority in the Senate – The stakes are high in the northernmost part of the United States.
The ballot behind the name of Daniel S. Sullivan notes that he is currently a senator and a Republican, ARD reports. And there is no additional information for the name of Daniel J. Sullivan.
The Department of Justice has filed several cases
The Department of Justice is currently trying to force the ballots for political newcomer Daniel J. Sullivan to be stored separately. The goal is to be able to check, if necessary, whether voters were confused in their votes because of the similarity in names. The department has also filed a lawsuit seeking to block the results of the Alaska election if the Republican incumbent loses to his opponent of the same name.
Critics of President Trump suggest that, despite possible attempts at manipulation, the government is trying to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the election.
Lawsuits have already been filed against about 30 states demanding the release of voter rolls. In California, the Justice Department tried to prevent the counting of ballots of people believed to be non-citizens of the state, but failed to prevail in court.
What are Americans voting for on November 3rd?
On November 3rd, the United States will hold midterm elections for both houses of Congress. All members of the House of Representatives and about a third of the Senate are up for re-election.
The elections are also considered an important test of the support enjoyed by the American president, ARD points out. They are held two years after his election to office, i.e. approximately halfway through his term.
Donald Trump's Republicans currently have a majority in both chambers, which helps the president relatively easily push his intentions through parliament. But if the Democrats win a majority in the House of Representatives or the Senate in the midterm elections, this will change.
In addition, on November 3, the governors of 36 states, as well as three of the island territories of the United States, are to be elected.
Source: www.dw.com