Alaska urges judge to dismiss Trump-led lawsuit challenging Senate race ballots

Alaska's Republican-led state government has asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit initiated at former President Donald Trump's direction seeking to stop certification of a likely Democratic victory in the state's U.S. Senate race, according to the Associated Press.

The lawsuit demands halting certification of Democrat Mary Peltola's possible win until it is determined whether voters were misled by the presence of a second candidate named Dan Sullivan on the ballot, who shares the name of Republican incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan.

The U.S. Department of Justice recently requested that the judge separate all ballots showing votes for the second Dan Sullivan to assess if voters were confused, but Alaska's attorney general's office called this request 'both disturbing and impossible,' citing voter privacy concerns.

The state filing also noted that the two candidates named Dan Sullivan are clearly distinguished on the ballot by party affiliation and incumbency status, and criticized the lawsuit as 'meritless' with no reason for the court to entertain it further.

The lawsuit followed reports that the Democrats' campaign may have been involved in recruiting the second Dan Sullivan to the ballot, but Alaska's filing supports dismissal of the case.