DOJ Sues Alaska to Block Senate Certification 11 Days Before Polls Close

The Justice Department has sued Alaska to prevent the certification of its Senate race if the Republican incumbent loses.

The lawsuit was filed on Thursday, 11 days before Election Day. It targets the closely watched contest between Republican Senator Dan S. Sullivan and Democrat Mary Peltola.

The department accused the state of failing to protect the integrity of the election. The core of the complaint involves the presence of independent candidate Dan J. Sullivan on the ballot.

David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, called the move entirely against department policy. He stated there is no legitimate enforcement of federal law in this instance.

Becker noted that he cannot recall an administration attempting to stop the certification of an election this close to the polls. He described the timing as raising serious concerns about political interference.

Election officials in dozens of states are preparing for a range of federal interventions. These preparations cover the days surrounding Tuesday, including the counting of votes and the arrival of final mail-in batches.

The Department of Justice asked Washington state on Monday to withhold ballots from more than 400 voters. The agency suspects these individuals are noncitizens. More than one million ballots have already been cast in that state.

In North Carolina, the State Board of Elections implemented a new rule requiring three separate envelopes for ballots and ID. Failure to seal any envelope results in rejection. The statewide ballot rejection rate has risen from 2.6% to 3.1% compared to the previous cycle.

Federal officials have not ruled out deploying agents to polling places. Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine told a senator in late August that the military had no plan for deployment. However, President Trump told Time in September that he did not rule anything out.

Three lawsuits have been filed to block ICE agents from polling sites. One filing notes that a Colorado county sheriffs' office has already conducted warrant checks at polling locations this year.

Arlington County, Virginia, filed a preemptive legal document outlining plans for arrests and legal actions if federal agents appear. The county stated it has never before needed to prepare for such threat scenarios.

Voting rights groups are ready to file immediate lawsuits if federal officials seize election materials. Norm Eisen of Democracy Defenders Action emphasized the need to be in court within minutes. He cited the FBI's January raid on the Fulton County election office in Georgia as a precedent for rapid legal response.