The Department of Justice requested that Alaska delay certifying the election if the Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan loses by a small margin, pending an investigation into voter confusion.
Posted by The NPR Politics Podcast, Checked
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The NPR Politics PodcastOct 26, 2026
The DOJ's October 22, 2026 lawsuit did ask a court to bar Alaska from certifying results if Sen. Dan S. Sullivan lost by a margin the votes for Daniel J. Sullivan could have changed, and to delay certification pending an investigation into voter confusion, as shown by Politico, CNBC, and FactCheck.org.
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What was said
… Alaska has two Dan Sullivans on the ballot this year. One of the Dan Sullivans is the incumbent Republican senator. The other Dan Sullivan is running as well, and the Department of Justice sued to basically say, if the Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan loses by a small enough margin, Alaska needs to not certify that election, or needs to delay certifying that election until they investigate whether it was because of voter confusion. The government saying its goal is, with these, it's to protect the integrity of the elections, basically, is what the DOJ says. …
The NPR Politics Podcast · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. BBC reports the DOJ lawsuit sought to bar Alaska from certifying the Senate results if Sen. Dan Sullivan loses by a margin smaller than the vote for the other Sullivan.[2]
Supports. Politico reports DOJ is seeking to delay certification if the incumbent loses until an investigation determines whether votes cast for Daniel J. Sullivan were meant for the incumbent.[3]
Supports. CNBC quotes the suit as asking a judge to bar certification of results impacted by voter confusion 'pending an investigation to determine whether votes cast for Daniel J. Sullivan were meant to be cast for Senator Sullivan.'[4]
Supports. FactCheck.org states the DOJ filed a preemptive lawsuit on Oct. 22 asking that the state 'not certify any election result that may be impacted by voter confusion.'[1]
Context. A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit on November 1, ruling the federal government lacked the ability to bring it, and the DOJ immediately appealed. This later development does not change whether the request was made as of October 26.[5][6][7]
Context. The claim's wording matches the extracted passage: the post described the DOJ suit as seeking non-certification or delay pending an investigation into voter confusion, with no added figures or actors.
Sources
7 sources: 1 fact-checker, 1 tier 1, 3 tier 2, 2 not rated
- 1Explaining the Case of the Two Dan Sullivans on Alaska's Ballot - FactCheck.orgfactcheck.org · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 2Trump administration sues to block certification of Alaska ...bbc.com · tier 1 · cited for: supports
- 3DOJ sues to block election certification in Alaska if ...politico.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
- 4DOJ sues Alaska to block Senate race certification if ... - CNBCcnbc.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 5Judge tosses Trump's attempt to block Alaska Senate results if GOP incumbent losesnpr.org · tier 2 · cited for: context
- 6DOJ lawsuit to probe Alaska Senate vote thrown out by judgebloomberg.com · tier 2 · cited for: context
- 7Judge dismisses Trump lawsuit over Alaska Senate race and DOJ will appealrmb.reuters.com · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Related claims
- The Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit regarding the presence of Daniel Sullivan on the Alaska ballot.True
- The Department of Justice sued Alaska regarding voter confusion caused by two candidates named Dan Sullivan appearing on the ballot.True
- The Department of Justice has moved to intervene in Alaska's upcoming U.S. Senate election.True
- The Trump administration filed a lawsuit in federal court in Alaska to block the certification of the Senate race if the Republican candidate loses.True
- The Trump administration sued the state of Alaska and its election officials to stop the certification of the US Senate election if Democrat Mary Peltola wins.True