ACLU and Common Cause file motion to intervene in DOJ Alaska election lawsuit

The Justice Department filed a federal lawsuit seeking to block Alaska from certifying its U.S. Senate election results if incumbent Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan loses, alleging voter confusion caused by fellow candidate Daniel J. Sullivan. In response, Democratic candidate Mary Peltola, the DSCC, and advocacy groups Common Cause and the ACLU filed motions to intervene and dismiss the lawsuit, calling the federal challenge an unlawful attempt to disenfranchise voters before Election Day.

Intervention motion by Common Cause and ACLU

• ▪Nonprofit watchdog group Common Cause, alongside the League of Women Voters of Alaska and two Alaska voters, filed a motion on October 24, 2026, to intervene against the Department of Justice's lawsuit against Alaska election officials
• ▪Common Cause president Virginia Kase Solomon stated that the Department of Justice's lawsuit to interfere in Alaska's election is baseless and risks disenfranchising Alaska residents entirely
• ▪Attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union filed court papers representing Common Cause to stop the Department of Justice from blocking the certification of Alaska's Senate election results
• ▪The American Civil Liberties Union argued in court filings that the federal government lacks the legal authority to bring a case interfering with Alaska state election certification procedures

DOJ lawsuit details and allegations

• ▪The Department of Justice's lawsuit against Alaska election officials requests that Alaska be barred from certifying Senate election results if Senator Dan S. Sullivan loses after votes cast for candidate Daniel J. Sullivan are excluded
• ▪President Donald Trump stated that he personally directed the Department of Justice to file the federal lawsuit regarding the Alaska Senate election
• ▪The Department of Justice alleged in its lawsuit that candidate Daniel J. Sullivan entered the Alaska Senate race to mislead voters who intended to vote for incumbent Republican Senator Dan S. Sullivan
• ▪The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit in federal court, seeking to block Alaska from certifying its U.S. Senate election results if incumbent Republican Senator Dan S. Sullivan loses

Dismissal motion by Mary Peltola and DSCC

• ▪Mary Peltola's campaign argued in a 27-page dismissal filing that the Department of Justice's proposed post-election vote investigations would violate constitutional equal protection by allowing voters for Daniel J. Sullivan to retroactively alter secret ballots
• ▪Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mary Peltola filed a motion, requesting an expedited ruling to dismiss the Department of Justice's lawsuit against Alaska election officials before Election Day
• ▪The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee joined Mary Peltola in filing a federal court motion, calling the Department of Justice's lawsuit against Alaska election officials an unprecedented pre-emptive strike on democratic elections

Scrutiny of candidate Dan j. Sullivan Jr.

• ▪Alaska election officials removed candidate Dan J. Sullivan Jr. from the ballot in June 2026, but an Alaska state judge overturned that decision later that month to validate his candidacy
• ▪Federal and state investigators examined in July 2026 whether candidate Dan J. Sullivan Jr. was involved in a conspiracy to confuse Alaska voters

Ballot confusion in Alaska Senate race

• ▪Incumbent Senator Dan S. Sullivan previously agreed, according to Mary Peltola's campaign's dismissal filing, that Alaska voters can tell the difference between himself and fellow candidate Daniel J. Sullivan on the ballot
• ▪President Donald Trump repeatedly complained that incumbent Senator Dan S. Sullivan was threatened by a candidate with the same name and criticized Alaska's ranked-choice voting system