Fewer Than 700 Votes Separate Candidates in Alaska Senate Race
Fewer than 700 votes separated the top two candidates in Alaska’s Senate race on Friday, leaving the Last Frontier hanging in the balance with 74% of ballots tallied. Democrat Mary Peltola maintained a lead over Republican incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan. That margin had not budged in more than 24 hours.
Mississippi and Alaska were the only two states left without a new senator. For Alaskans watching the numbers crawl upward, the pace comes as no surprise. Peltola urged supporters to settle in for a marathon counting process.
The results are not gonna be fast, but Alaskans are patient… It will be weeks. We know this. We know this. This is how it’s always been. This is normal. This is Alaska normal.
Alaska relies on a ranked choice voting system where ballots are tallied in rounds. To secure an outright victory in the general election, a candidate must reach 50% or more of the vote.
The Mechanics of Ranked-Choice and Hard-to-Reach Ballots
If no candidate reaches 50% using first-place votes, officials take the last-place finisher and reallocate those ballots to voters’ second and third choices. That tabulation will not happen before Nov. 18.
Compounding the delay, ballots must be flown in or mailed from hard-to-reach areas of Alaska. While logistics usually result in a lengthy process, this year is different.
Sullivan was not the only Dan on the ballot. Another Dan Sullivan was listed as a third-party option, prompting investigations by the Justice Department and the FBI.
The incumbent Republican pulled no punches regarding the ballot confusion. What’s the first order of business when [Peltola is] going to run for the Senate, to put together a secret scheme. To trick Alaskans to throw away their vote and rig the election,
Sullivan said.
In response, the Trump administration sued to stop the election from being certified if Peltola wins. The administration claimed Democrats plotted to add the same-named candidate as a ploy to pull votes.
As federal investigators probe the ballot controversy and legal briefs pile up in court, the state keeps counting. Election workers continue processing paper while voters wait for the November 18 tabulation date.
