The Department of Justice sued Alaska regarding voter confusion caused by two candidates named Dan Sullivan appearing on the ballot.
Posted by The NPR Politics Podcast, Checked
- Sources
- 6 support2 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 95%
The NPR Politics PodcastOct 26, 2026
The DOJ filed a lawsuit against Alaska election officials on October 22, 2026, arguing that voter confusion from two Dan Sullivans on the ballot could taint certification, which matches the claim as of the October 26 posting.
This claim is about the present, so it is judged as of the day it was checked.
What was said
… don't see a lot of instances, from what I have seen in these court documents, of some sort of nefarious conspiracy of people trying to, knowing that they can't vote, and going in and voting because they want to sway the election and steal Americans' votes. The second thing we're watching is the Department of Justice last week sued Alaska over an issue of voter confusion, or alleged voter confusion. 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 …
The NPR Politics Podcast · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. Multiple tier1 outlets report that the Justice Department sued Alaska on October 22 to block certification of the Senate race if Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan loses, citing possible voter confusion from the other candidate named Dan Sullivan.[1][2][3][4]
Supports. The lawsuit alleged that votes for retired teacher Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. could reflect voter confusion, and asked for an investigation into whether those votes were intended for the incumbent.[3][5][6]
Context. Judge Sharon Gleason dismissed the lawsuit on November 1 on standing and secret-ballot grounds, and the DOJ filed a notice of appeal; this later ruling does not change the fact that the suit was filed.[1][2][7][8]
Context. The claim describes the confusion as caused by the two candidates, while the lawsuit framed it as alleged or possible confusion; the post itself used the phrase 'alleged voter confusion', so the claim is a faithful paraphrase.[4][5]
Sources
8 sources: 3 fact-checkers, 1 primary, 2 tier 2, 2 not rated
- 1Judge dismisses lawsuit seeking to block certification of Alaska Senate race if GOP incumbent losesapnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports, context
- 2US judge dismisses Trump election lawsuit in Alaskareuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports, context
- 3Explaining the Case of the Two Dan Sullivans on Alaska's Ballot - FactCheck.orgfactcheck.org · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 4Does the Alaska election lawsuit have a chance?news.harvard.edu · primary source · cited for: supports, context
- 5‘Should fail on the merits’: DOJ’s Alaska gambit is likely to ...politico.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports, context
- 6Alaska expert sees no voter confusion from two Daniel Sullivans on ballot, as Justice Dept suesreutersconnect.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 7Judge tosses DOJ Alaska lawsuit over U.S. Senate racenpr.org · tier 2 · cited for: context
- 8Judge tosses DOJ lawsuit that sought to block election ...alaskapublic.org · 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 requested that Alaska delay certifying the election if the Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan loses by a small margin, pending an investigation into voter confusion.True
- There are two candidates named Dan Sullivan running for office in Alaska.True
- The Department of Justice filed lawsuits in California and Alaska regarding election law.True
- The Alaska Supreme Court ruled that the second Dan Sullivan could be on the ballot.True