USAupdated 51m ago3 min read
Alaska Senate Race Dispute Over Second Dan Sullivan Delays Ranked-Choice Voting Results
“If it does take these two weeks to find out the actual composition [of the results], this isn’t a ballot manipulation — it’s not an attempt to alter the results of the election,”
“Critics argue that ranked-choice ballots make voting and vote-counting more complicated.”
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Lawsuits, criminal investigations, and threats to block certification over Sullivan's ballot placement. Alaska voters considering repealing ranked-choice voting amid ongoing race controversy.
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Alaska Senate vote delays
Alaska’s Senate race has become entangled in a dispute over how a second Dan Sullivan ended up on the ballot, and CNN said the winner could take “two weeks” to be determined. Derek Tisler, counsel with the Brennan Center’s Elections and Government Program, said, “Alaska does it different than everyone,” as Alaska’s ranked-choice voting and ballot-return timelines stretch the count. Russell Luke, a political science professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, argued that any delay would not be “ballot manipulation,” saying it is “simply how long it takes in Alaska.”
NBC News said Alaskans will decide next week whether to repeal ranked-choice voting, with the system facing fresh scrutiny amid the Senate race controversy. Alaska’s ranked-choice voting is tied to the state’s process for mailed ballots, with CNN describing a 10 to 15 day window for returns before results can be finalized if no candidate reaches 50% on the first ballot.
Two Sullivans, legal threats
The Alaska Senate ballot has featured incumbent GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan and a challenger named Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., and CNN said the controversy has sparked “lawsuits, criminal investigations and threats to block certification.”
Alaska GOP Gov. Mike Dunleavy said that if an investigation finds “wrongdoing,” certification could be “stopped or changed,” according to CNN.
David Becker, a former DOJ attorney and founder of the Center for Election Innovation & Research, warned that if a state authority tries to delay or deny certification, “Parties with standing are going to go to the court,” and he said they would seek “immediate relief.”
The Justice Department intensified legal and investigative actions in Alaska, and the Arabic21 report said prosecutors spoke of a “sham candidate” in the race.
The Arabic21 report also said the ballot indicates the opposing candidate’s name will be listed as “Sullivan, Daniel J. Jr.,” with the party box left blank, while the incumbent is listed as “Sullivan, Dan S.” and “Republican.”
Ranked choice under pressure
Ranked-choice voting is used in Alaska and Maine, and ABC News explained that voters can rank candidates so that if no candidate gets a majority of No. 1 rankings, “the race goes into an instant runoff.”
ABC News quoted Ismar Volić, director for the Institute for Mathematics and Democracy at Wellesley College, saying, “The thinking is that even if my favorite candidate has no chance of winning, I can put my support and vote for someone who I also think is good.”
CNN said Alaska’s ranked-choice system could come under scrutiny in the Senate race because two candidates named Dan Sullivan appear on the ballot, raising questions about whether some voters could “accidentally rank the wrong candidate.”
The Al Jazeera report described ranked-choice voting as a system that allows anyone who pays a $100 registration fee to have his or her name appear on a long primary ballot, and it said the top four advance to the November elections where voters can rank three by preference.
The Al Jazeera report added that supporters argue manipulation is more difficult because voters can choose both Sullivans and skip Mary Peltola, while it said the controversy has prompted US President Donald Trump to sue Alaska to block certification if the incumbent Dan S Sullivan loses.