Alaska FBI Probe Widens as DOJ Seeks to Segregate Ballots in Sullivan Senate Race

Federal authorities have sent additional FBI personnel to Alaska as they investigate the candidacy of a retired schoolteacher who shares a name with Republican Senator Dan Sullivan. U.S. Attorney Michael Heyman said on Friday that the criminal and civil probes had become serious and that a surge of law-enforcement resources was now in place days before the 3 November election.

The Department of Justice first sued on 23 October seeking to block certification of the Senate results if the incumbent loses and if votes cast for Daniel J. Sullivan appear to have been intended for the senator. An amended complaint added details from a New York Times report that aides to Democratic nominee Mary Peltola and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee helped recruit the retired teacher. The teacher, also called Dan J. Sullivan, won roughly 4,100 votes in a sample count cited in filings.

Heyman told reporters that authorities had been looking at the matter for months. Recent reporting produced new information and accelerated the response. He described the allegations as deeply troubling and said the Justice Department takes claims of voter confusion or election disruption extremely seriously. The office has issued at least three dozen subpoenas and preservation requests to the Peltola campaign and to the teacher's circle.

Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy, a Republican, ordered the state Department of Public Safety to examine whether the recruitment violated state criminal or civil laws. The DOJ filing asks the court to segregate all ballots that rank the second Sullivan so investigators can later determine voter intent. Election Day is 3 November. Heyman argued that precautionary measures would be impossible after the votes are cast and mixed.

President Donald Trump has called the dual candidacy cheating and said Democrats found a guy named Dan Sullivan to confuse voters. He held a rally in Wasilla earlier in the month. A DOJ spokesperson said Alaska's Division of Elections had already determined that the second candidacy was intended to mislead voters. The National Voter Registration Act is cited as the basis for the federal action.

Peltola's campaign has not confirmed the recruitment claims in public statements. Legal experts note that placing a same-name candidate on the ballot is not itself a crime, though coordination or fraud would be. The race is one of a handful that could decide control of the Senate. Sullivan, a Marine Corps veteran, is seeking re-election in a state that has been competitive.

Judge Sharon Gleason set a Thursday deadline for the DOJ to respond to motions to dismiss the original suit. The amended complaint arrived before that deadline. Parallel state and federal investigations are now running. FBI agents have visited at least one donor in the candidate's hometown, according to local reporting.

The immediate practical effect is that election officials may be ordered to keep certain ballots separate until the probe concludes. Certification could be delayed if the incumbent loses by a margin smaller than the votes received by the second Sullivan. Both campaigns continue to hold events. The Justice Department has not named any individuals as targets of the criminal investigation.

Alaska uses ranked-choice voting. Voters rank candidates. A ballot that lists two men with nearly identical names can produce genuine confusion or intentional diversion. The Times report described internal discussions about the tactic. The DOJ has not released the full set of documents obtained by subpoena.

The probe will continue past Election Day regardless of the outcome. If the second Sullivan draws enough votes to change the result, the segregated ballots become central evidence. If the incumbent wins comfortably, the investigation still proceeds on the recruitment question. Heyman said the surge of resources is meant to preserve integrity before the votes are counted. The court has not yet ruled on the request to segregate ballots.