Peltola Campaign Sues for Access to Blocked Alaska Absentee Ballots
By Washington Examiner.
Democrat Mary Peltola’s Senate campaign sued Alaska election officials Friday, seeking records that would identify voters whose absentee ballots have been rejected as the state continues counting votes in one of the closest 2026 midterm races nationwide.
Alaskans for Mary, Peltola’s campaign committee, filed the lawsuit in Alaska Superior Court in Anchorage against the Alaska Division of Elections, Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom, and Director of Elections Carol Beecher, alleging the state violated the Alaska Public Records Act by withholding the records. The campaign wants the division’s absentee register showing whether each returned absentee ballot has been coded for acceptance or rejection, along with the reason for each rejection.
The campaign is represented by the Anchorage firm Reeves Amodio and by Elias Law Group, the Democratic election law firm founded by attorney Marc Elias.
The complaint asks a judge to declare that the campaign is entitled to the records, order the state to turn them over “without further delay,” and bar officials from obstructing or delaying access. It also seeks attorneys’ fees. The campaign separately asked for a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction to force the immediate release of the records, several outlets reported.
According to the complaint, the campaign sent a written records request to each of the division’s five regional offices Oct. 27, a week before Election Day, and received no response. On Wednesday, Nov. 4, the day after the election, its lawyers sent a follow-up letter demanding the records by 4 p.m. Thursday and warning that they would treat any failure to produce them as a denial. The complaint says during a phone call and in emails Thursday, state attorneys declined to release the records immediately. The campaign argues that officials “constructively denied and obstructed” its request. (Read more from “Peltola Campaign Sues for Access to Blocked Alaska Absentee Ballots” HERE)
