The US Department of Justice is investigating whether retired teacher Daniel J. Sullivan was recruited into the Senate race in Alaska to confuse voters and divert votes from incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan. Fox News reported on the investigation, citing two sources familiar with it.
The two candidates have almost identical names, but are distinguished on the ballot as “Dan S. Sullivan” and “Daniel J. Sullivan.” The second candidate is an independent and is described as a retired teacher. According to federal authorities, the similarity in the names may have been used to attract votes from voters intending to support the Republican senator.
Investigation intensified after reports of Democratic ties
The investigation has been ongoing for months, but was intensified following reports of alleged contacts between people linked to the campaign of Democratic candidate Mary Peltola and potential candidates with similar names. The Associated Press reported that the Department of Justice had issued more than 100 subpoenas and sent requests to preserve documents.
US Attorney for Alaska Michael Heyman confirmed that a criminal investigation had begun, but stressed that authorities still do not consider it established that a crime was committed. “I make no assumptions about whether a crime has been committed or not. That is precisely why we are conducting a thorough investigation,” Heyman said.
US Attorney General Todd Blanche told Fox News that “there is a person running who does not want to be a senator and who is participating solely to confuse Alaska voters.” The Department of Justice has not announced the specific crimes it is investigating.
Peltola and the second Sullivan deny the allegations
Mary Peltola denies knowing about an effort to include Daniel J. Sullivan in the race. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee also rejects allegations that it was involved in a scheme to confuse voters. Daniel J. Sullivan himself says that his candidacy is lawful and was not organized at the behest of Democrats.
“I am not interested in misleading voters,” Peltola said. So far, none of the participants in the race has been charged with a crime.
Legal dispute over the ballot
Daniel J. Sullivan remained on the ballot following a ruling by the Alaska Supreme Court. Earlier, the state election administration had determined that his candidacy did not constitute a bona fide campaign and could be intended to confuse voters, but the courts did not remove him.
Alongside the criminal investigation, the Department of Justice filed a civil lawsuit seeking to halt certification of the election results if Dan Sullivan loses by fewer votes than the number received by the other candidate with the similar name. A federal judge rejected the request, pointing to problems with protecting ballot secrecy and with the possibility of proving which voters had been confused.
According to the Associated Press, federal authorities have no confirmed cases of voters mistakenly voting for one of the two candidates. The investigation is ongoing, and no potential charges have been announced.
Sources: foxnews.com, apnews.com, washingtonpost.com