THE APEX TIMES
Attorneys for Alaska argued a Department of Justice request to separate ballots for a second “Dan Sullivan” spoiler candidate from other votes cannot be done, as federal election litigation continues.
Attorneys for the state of Alaska told a federal judge that a demand attributed to President Donald Trump to set aside certain U.S. Senate ballots was “meritless” and, in their view, “not even possible,” according to reporting Friday by PBS NewsHour Politics and other outlets.
In the ongoing dispute, the U.S. Department of Justice asked the judge to require a separation of ballots that show votes for a second Dan Sullivan, the reporting states, as part of an effort to determine whether some voters were misled into casting ballots for a spoiler candidate rather than the contest’s intended nominee.
The Alaska attorneys’ position, as described in the reports, is that the requested ballot segregation cannot be implemented in the way the administration is seeking, making the requested relief both legally and practically unavailable.
The filings and statements referenced by the outlets are tied to election administration in Alaska and to the question of what remedy, if any, a court can order when allegations focus on voter confusion about names appearing on ballots.
The dispute appears to center on whether ballots can be sorted in a way that isolates the alleged spoiler effect, and on what factual record the court could create to decide any requested remedy. The reports indicate the DOJ request is intended to clarify whether voters were “fooled” into wasting their votes for the spoiler candidate.
Alaska’s attorneys, in turn, argued that the separation the DOJ seeks would be impossible, leaving the state opposing the requested ballot-related remedy as not feasible under election and ballot-processing mechanics described in the court materials. Further proceedings would determine whether the court orders any ballot handling changes or other steps in the case.
