Peltola's campaign sues, saying it cannot ensure its voters' ballots were counted without knowing whose were rejected
Mary PeltolaDemocratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Alaska, through her campaign committee, Alaskans for Mary, in a complaint filed in Anchorage Superior Court
Mary Peltola's campaign committee, Alaskans for Mary, sues the Alaska Division of Elections under the state Public Records Act, saying it cannot make sure its voters' lawful ballots were counted without knowing whose absentee ballots were rejected or questioned and why.
Responding to
No Alaska statute protects from public disclosure the absentee register's accept or reject codes or the names of voters whose absentee ballots were rejected.
“cannot ensure that its voters' lawful votes were properly counted without knowing whose absentee ballots were rejected or questioned, and why”
Original text
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Peltola's campaign sues Alaska for rejected absentee ballot records; the state says the data is confidential, and Sullivan's campaign moves to intervene
On November 6, 2026, Alaskans for Mary, the campaign committee of Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mary Peltola, sued Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom, Division of Elections director Carol Beecher and the division in Anchorage Superior Court under the Alaska Public Records Act. It seeks the absentee register showing the accept or reject code for each returned absentee ballot, or other records showing whose ballots were rejected and why, and it asked for a temporary restraining order. The Alaska Department of Law says state law does not require the division to release the preliminary information, which it has long treated as confidential, and that releasing it could slow the count. On November 9 the state argued that the records implicate voters' constitutional right to privacy, and the campaign of Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan moved to intervene, saying the request would bypass the absentee review process the law sets for all candidates. Judge Thomas Matthews scheduled oral argument for November 10.
Source and context
Original text
About this source
Complaint for declaratory and injunctive relief under the Alaska Public Records Act, filed November 6, 2026 in the Superior Court for the Third Judicial District at Anchorage by Mary Peltola's campaign committee against Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom, Division of Elections director Carol Beecher and the Division of Elections. Exhibit 1 is the campaign's October 27 records request for the absentee register's accept or reject codes.
Reporting
About this source
Report on the Peltola campaign's November 6 lawsuit, quoting the complaint, a campaign statement and the Department of Law's statement, and noting the status of the vote count and the separate Justice Department lawsuit.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
The complaint says the campaign asked each regional elections office on October 27 for the absentee register showing the accept or reject code for each returned absentee ballot, received no response, and that the state's lawyers declined on November 5 to provide the records immediately.
After the quotation
The complaint asks the court to declare that the campaign may inspect and copy the records and to order the division to produce them without further delay.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is the Alaska Division of Elections' refusal to give Mary Peltola's campaign the absentee register's accept or reject codes and the names of voters whose absentee ballots were rejected during the 2026 count. The campaign says the refusal violates the Public Records Act and asks the court to order the records released, which condemns the refusal.
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- State of Alaska
More from this case
Read the full caseState says the data implicates voters' privacy because 'many people would not want the world to know' of an absentee mistake
State of Alaska
“And the information implicates voters' constitutional right to privacy because many people would not want the world to know that they may have made a mistake in absentee voting.”Read statement
Sullivan's campaign moves to intervene, saying Peltola asks the court to 'short-circuit' the absentee review process
“Peltola now asks this Court to disregard the law and to short-circuit the legally prescribed process for ensuring that every lawful ballot is counted”Read statement
Alaska's Department of Law says state law does not require the division to release the preliminary ballot data
State of Alaska
“Alaska's constitution and laws do not require the Division to provide this information in the manner requested by the campaign. Releasing preliminary information in the manner sought by the lawsuit would create additional burdens during ballot processing and could delay the timely counting of votes.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Peltola's campaign sues, saying it cannot ensure its voters' ballots were counted without knowing whose were rejected". First published: 2026-11-10. Last updated: 2026-11-10. https://disputeindex.com/events/8610-mary-peltola-s-campaign-committee-alaskans-for-mary