DOJ requests separating Alaska ballots that rank Dan J. Sullivan in Senate race

The Trump administration asked a federal judge Friday to issue an order before Monday directing Alaska election officials to segregate all ballots ranking Senate candidate Dan J. Sullivan as it continues its investigation into his candidacy.

Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward wrote in a court filing that state officials should “preserve and segregate all ballots ranking Daniel J. Sullivan for the purposes of investigating whether such ranking was the product of voter confusion, should such an investigation become necessary.”

“These modest precautionary measures will be impossible after Election Day, so there is good cause for expedited consideration,” he added.

The filing did not spell out a process for ballot review or explain how reviewing a ballot would show if a voter was confused about ranking the candidates. Alaska uses ranked choice voting, and there are four candidates in the Senate race.

The Trump administration has ramped up its efforts to involve itself in the Alaska election, which by statute is handled by state officials, after The New York Times reported this week that Democrat Mary Peltola’s campaign was involved in recruiting Dan J. Sullivan, a former school teacher, to run against Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan. Peltola has denied any involvement in Sullivan’s campaign.