Alaska Senate Race Hinges on 600 Votes as Peltola Campaign Sues for Rejected Ballot Records

The campaign for Democrat Mary Peltola has filed a lawsuit in state court to compel the Alaska Division of Elections to release records for absentee ballots that were rejected. The legal action seeks to determine which specific votes were excluded from the final tally and the reasons for their exclusion.

The filing asserts that the campaign requested these records on multiple occasions but was denied access each time. The lawsuit states that the campaign cannot verify if valid votes were counted without this data. A document from the suit notes that every hour of delay costs the plaintiff the opportunity to ensure qualified voters have their ballots counted.

Peltola currently holds a lead of just over 600 votes against Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan. Approximately 30 percent of the total votes remain uncounted. As of Saturday morning, no winner had been projected in the contest, according to Decision Desk HQ.

The Division of Elections responded to the suit in a release issued Friday. The agency argued that voters whose ballots were rejected have not yet received personal notification of the decision. Consequently, the division maintains that the state is not required to provide the information to the campaign in the manner requested. The release warned that releasing preliminary data now could create additional burdens during ballot processing and delay the timely counting of votes.

This legal dispute occurs while the Trump administration also pursues a separate lawsuit. That case sought to block certification of the election if Sullivan loses, citing potential voter confusion caused by a candidate named Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. A judge dismissed that specific case before Election Day, though the administration pledged to appeal.

Counting in Alaska is expected to continue for several more days. Ballots from outside the country can be accepted up to 15 days after the election if postmarked by Election Day. Additional results are not required to be reported until November 10, though the state may release them earlier. Final totals are due by November 18.

If no candidate achieves a majority, Alaska will conduct an instant runoff under its ranked choice voting system. The last-place candidate will be eliminated, and their supporters' subsequent choices will be redistributed until one candidate holds more than 50 percent of the vote.