Alaska officials push back against DOJ election lawsuit

Anchorage. The Alaska Division of Elections filed a response to the U.S. Department of Justice on October 30. The filing challenges the federal government’s request to delay certification of the 2026 U.S. Senate election results. The Division of Elections argued that the DOJ’s amended complaint does not offer new legal grounds for its claims. The DOJ filed its amended complaint on October 29. In that document, the federal agency asked the court to instruct the state to deny certification if voter confusion might have impacted the outcome. The DOJ pointed to recent reporting on efforts by political operatives to recruit Daniel J. Sullivan of Petersburg. Those operatives sought to siphon votes from incumbent Senator Dan S. Sullivan.

Alaskans for Mary and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee filed a separate response. They argued the DOJ lacks the legal authority to determine the certification of Alaska’s elections. The group stated that the DOJ has not cited a legitimate violation of federal law. The League of Women Voters, Common Cause, and two individual intervenors also filed a response. Their brief asked the court to dismiss the complaint. They further asked the court to consider sanctions for what they called an abuse of the judicial process.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People filed an amicus brief in the case. The NAACP argued that the DOJ failed to state a claim upon which it can obtain relief. The brief explained that the National Voter Registration Act is concerned solely with increasing voter registration and ensuring state rolls remain accurate. The NAACP stated that the statute provides no avenue for relief to determine whether a candidate can appear on a ballot based on name confusion.

The Division of Elections echoed these points in its own brief. The state argued that the DOJ rests on a meritless theory that a voter registration law governs a case with no connection to registration. The brief stated that because this reading of the NVRA fails, the amended complaint also fails. Alaskans for Mary and the DSCC noted that the DOJ relies on an unsupportable reading of the statute. They said the DOJ’s claim is built entirely on a snippet from the statement of purpose and finds no purchase in the operative text of the law.

The League of Women Voters brief asserted that the DOJ’s requested relief would violate fundamental rights. The brief argued that indefinitely blocking the certification of the imminent election would disenfranchise voters. It would also require an unadministrable inquisition into individual voters’ intent, violating the right to a secret ballot. The brief cited the Purcell principle, which prevents federal courts from commandeering state election machinery at the last minute. The intervenors stated that any of these factors provide independent grounds for dismissal.

Judge Sharon Gleason granted expedited consideration of the motions. The court ordered the DOJ to respond to all three Motions to Dismiss by 1:00 PM on October 30. The State and Intervenor-Defendants may file their replies by noon on Saturday, October 31. Early voting for the 2026 general election is currently underway in the state.