The election campaign in the United States is entering its final stretch, with control of Congress being the major issue at stake in the election on Tuesday, November 3. As Democrats and Republicans step up their final efforts to win over voters, the Trump administration is escalating its legal interventions in key electoral districts, with a focus on the state of Alaska.
At the same time, early voting turnout has reached a historic high for a midterm election, as more than 49 million Americans have already cast their ballots in person or by mail.
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The legal battle in Alaska takes on particular significance, as this Senate race is among those that could influence the composition of the Senate for the next two years.
At the same time, the actions of the U.S. Department of Justice in various states have raised concerns among election officials, who are warning of the risk of political pressure on the electoral process.
Alaska: The candidacy of a second Sullivan takes center stage
Tensions, as reported by Reuters, escalated on Friday when the U.S. Department of Justice accelerated the ongoing criminal investigation in Alaska.
This was prompted by reports that associates of Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola, allegedly recruited a retired teacher from a remote fishing village to run for office because he shares the same name as the incumbent Republican senator. The current senator is Dan S. Sullivan, while the independent candidate also appearing on the ballot is named Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.
According to a New York Times report, Peltola’s associates sought to have the second Sullivan run in the race, a move that could have caused confusion among voters.
Peltola has denied any knowledge of any attempt to recruit the retired teacher. For his part, the candidate himself has also denied that he coordinated his candidacy with the Democratic candidate’s campaign.
The Department of Justice is seeking to block the certification of the election results
The U.S. Department of Justice has already filed a civil lawsuit, which Donald Trump stated he initiated on his own.
As part of the legal proceedings, it has filed additional motions aimed at preventing the certification of the Senate election results in Alaska, should Republican Dan Sullivan lose a close race in which his namesake is also a candidate.
The U.S. attorney for Alaska, Michael Heiman, stated at a press conference on Friday that the New York Times report led to a significant increase in FBI investigative resources.
As he noted, several prosecutors have been assigned to the case, and the investigation is proceeding at a particularly intense pace.
Hayman described the second Sullivan as a “fictitious candidate,” without, however, specifying which specific criminal offense may have been committed.
He also noted that the investigation was already underway, but the information published by the American newspaper accelerated the proceedings.
The Stakes for the Senate and the House of Representatives
The race in Alaska is considered particularly important for the Democrats in their effort to regain control of the Senate from the Republicans.
In the November 3 election, 35 of the 100 Senate seats are up for grabs, as well as all 435 seats in the House of Representatives.
The outcome will determine the political balance of power in Congress during the final two years of Donald Trump’s presidential term.
A potential Democratic victory in one or both chambers could lead to the launch of congressional investigations into the Trump administration, which over the past two years has largely enjoyed the support of Republican majorities.
This development could also affect the White House’s ability to advance its legislative agenda.
Record early voting with 49 million participants
Americans’ interest in the midterm elections is also reflected in early voting figures.
According to the University of Florida’s Election Lab, more than 49 million citizens had already voted, either in person or by mail. This is a record number for a U.S. midterm election.
In the corresponding 2022 election cycle, nearly 46 million voters had cast their ballots before Election Day.
This increased turnout comes amid a period of intense political polarization, with the two major parties vying for control of the federal legislature.
Over the past month, Donald Trump has toured several states, campaigning for Republican Party candidates.
For Saturday, October 31, Halloween, no new trips are scheduled for him, while on Sunday he is expected to return to the campaign trail with visits to Kansas and Iowa.
This year’s final stretch of the campaign coincides with two particularly popular American traditions: Halloween and college football games.
Interventions by the Trump administration in other states
The Alaska case is not the only electoral dispute in which the U.S. Department of Justice is involved.
The Trump administration has also taken legal action against California, seeking to prevent the counting of votes from more than 20,000 registered voters, whom it claims may not be U.S. citizens.
At the same time, he has filed lawsuits against approximately 30 states and the District of Columbia, seeking access to complete, unredacted voter rolls.
These initiatives have raised concerns among officials responsible for conducting the elections, as they believe they may create additional uncertainty just days before the vote.
On Friday, a federal judge ordered the Department of Justice to stop threatening criminal prosecution of California election officials who do not comply with government guidelines regarding allegations of non-citizen voter participation.
Concerns About Trust in the Electoral Process
Sean Morales-Doyle, director of the Brennan Center for Justice’s Voting Rights and Elections Program, believes that the government’s legal actions bear similarities to the tactics used by those who challenged the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.
In his view, even if the appeals do not succeed in court, there is a risk that a climate of political pressure could develop that might influence the decisions of election officials.
As he explained, such interventions can create uncertainty, fear, and mistrust, putting pressure on Alaskan officials to take actions that fall outside their purview.
He cited, by way of example, the possibility that the Alaska lieutenant governor might feel pressured or that the governor might even begin to question established procedures.
These assessments reflect the concerns of organizations working to protect voting rights, without prejudging the outcome of the court cases.
Reuters/Ipsos: 76% trust the vote count
Despite intense political disputes, Americans’ confidence in the electoral process remains relatively high.
According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted from September 30 to October 5, 76% of respondents said they believe their vote will be counted correctly.
In contrast, 15% expressed a lack of confidence, while the rest were either unsure or did not respond.
Of particular interest is the fact that confidence levels were roughly equally high among Republicans and Democrats.
This picture suggests that, despite political conflicts and disputes surrounding specific electoral procedures, the vast majority of Americans continue to view the overall vote-counting process as trustworthy.
Source: Proto Thema
