Mary Peltola Sues Alaska Election Division Over Rejected Absentee Ballot Records

Democrat Mary Peltola's campaign filed a lawsuit in state court against the Alaska Division of Elections, Director Carol Beecher, and Lieutenant Governor Nancy Dahlstrom, seeking immediate access to records on rejected absentee ballots.

The legal action from Alaskans for Mary alleges violations of the Alaska Public Records Act after officials rejected preliminary requests for logs detailing individual voters whose ballots were disqualified alongside the specific grounds for rejection. Peltola leads Republican incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan by approximately 640 votes, with more than 215,000 ballots counted. State election officials estimate up to 60,000 ballots remain uncounted, including roughly 20,000 early votes and 40,000 absentee ballots.

The Division of Elections, through the Alaska Department of Law, stated it will contest the lawsuit in court. Spokesperson Sam Curtis stated that daily preliminary logs of rejected or accepted ballots have long been treated as confidential until official determinations are final. Officials argued that disclosing preliminary voter lists would disrupt ongoing verification work and delay the count, noting that authorized observers already inspect daily activities under confidentiality agreements.

The election outcome remains uncertified as Alaska continues receiving mail ballots from overseas and rural communities through November 18, when ranked-choice elimination rounds will occur ahead of certified results on November 25. The race drew additional scrutiny due to a third-party candidate named Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., whose presence prompted prior federal litigation from the Department of Justice that a federal judge dismissed on November 1.