Justice Department asks judge to segregate Alaska ballots ranking Daniel J. Sullivan; state opposes

The Justice Department asked a federal judge on Friday to order Alaska officials to segregate all ballots that rank Daniel J. Sullivan, a Senate candidate with the same first and last name as the Republican incumbent, CBS News reported. The department also asked for expedited discovery into the campaign of Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola and into the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, according to CBS.

The federal request. CBS reported that Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward wrote the Friday filing, and that the Justice Department asked the judge to rule by Monday. CNN reported that the judge's order noted the department's claim that a candidate named Daniel J. Sullivan on the ballot could confuse voters who intend to vote for Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, the Republican incumbent.

The state's response. CBS reported that Alaska officials opposed the request. The state argued that the ballots are commingled and cannot be segregated without violating ballot secrecy, CBS reported. The state also filed a motion to dismiss on Saturday, according to CBS. Earlier, on Oct. 26, CNN reported that Judge Sharon Gleason had granted a Democratic request to fast-track the case. CNN said her new scheduling order hinted at some skepticism about the administration's arguments for federal court involvement.

The criminal probe. The Washington Post reported that the U.S. Attorney for the District of Alaska, Michael Heyman, confirmed a criminal probe of spoiler claims in the Senate race. According to the Post, the probe took on new urgency after a New York Times report cited text messages from Peltola staffers. The Post said the messages appeared to suggest the staffers were directly involved in such an effort. Peltola has denied knowing of any such scheme, the Post reported. The Post also said Daniel J. Sullivan has maintained that his campaign is legitimate. CBS reported that nobody has been charged.

What we don't know yet

• Whether Judge Gleason has ruled on the ballot-segregation request. This story does not report a ruling.
• How the court will treat the state's Saturday motion to dismiss.
• What the text messages in the New York Times report show. The Post's account is second-hand, and we did not review the Times report. Peltola denies a scheme, and Daniel J. Sullivan says his candidacy is legitimate.
• Whether anyone will be charged. The criminal probe is described only as an investigation.
• The full contents of the Justice Department filing. We did not review the filing or the court docket, and the details here come from news reports.

Sources

• CBS News live updates: https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/2026-midterm-elections-campaigns-weekend-before/
• CBS News: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/alaska-us-attorney-senate-race-two-dan-sullivans/
• CBS News: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/daniel-j-sullivan-left-alaska-hometown-senate-election/
• CNN live news, Oct. 26: https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/26/politics/live-news/midterm-election-congress
• Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/10/30/alaska-prosecutor-confirms-criminal-probe-spoiler-claims-senate-race/