The campaign of Democratic US Senate candidate Mary Peltola of Alaska sued state election officials on Friday seeking the immediate release of records identifying absentee ballots that were rejected in Tuesday’s voting.
Sullivan remain locked in a close contest for the seat, with about 600 votes separating them as ballots from remote areas in the sprawling state were still being counted. The campaign says it requested the records on October 27 and again on Wednesday under Alaska’s Public Records Act but received no response, and was later denied immediate access. Because ballot counting and certification are under way, the plaintiffs also sought a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to compel the immediate release of the records, arguing that time is critical.
Peltola and the Republican candidate, incumbent Senator Dan S. Peltola’s campaign group, Alaskans for Mary, sued the Alaska Division of Elections, Lieutenant Governor Nancy Dahlstrom and Director of Elections Carol Beecher, seeking the release of records identifying absentee ballots rejected in Tuesday’s election and the reasons for those rejections. “Releasing preliminary information in the manner sought by the lawsuit would create additional burdens during ballot processing and could delay the timely counting of votes.
The state Department of Law, which represents the lieutenant governor and the Division of Elections, said in a statement that the Division of Elections has long treated those records as confidential and that Alaska law does not require their release. “Because the information is preliminary, subject to change, and not yet available to affected voters, the Division does not distribute the records separately or allow observers to retain them,” the statement said. The Division has protected this information for years and will ask the court to protect it too,” the statement said.
