Alaska judge calls Peltola campaign's request for rejected absentee voter list not reasonable
Judge Thomas Matthews cites officials' time crunch while counting continues in Alaska's Senate race between Democrat Mary Peltola and Sen. Dan Sullivan.
On Wednesday, an Alaska state judge refused a request by Democratic hopeful Mary Peltola's campaign for a roster of absentee voters with rejected ballots. Superior Court Judge Thomas Matthews called the request "not reasonable," citing the time crunch election officials face while counting continues. He ruled a day after hearing arguments.
The campaign had sued state elections officials, also seeking the reasons for each rejection, and said it wants all qualified voters' ballots counted. State attorneys argued the information would violate voter privacy. Sullivan's campaign backed the state and asked that any data released go to all candidates equally.
Peltola and Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, a two-term incumbent, are the main contenders in the ranked vote race, the only Senate contest still too early to call. Overseas ballots can arrive through Nov. 18, also the target date for ranked vote tabulations if no one wins over 50% of first-choice votes. Fox News reports Peltola led by just over 600 votes as of Monday.
- 15 daysperiod after the election in which overseas ballots are acceptedThe Seattle Times
- Nov. 18last day to receive overseas ballots and target date for ranked vote tabulationsThe Seattle Times
- just over 600 votesPeltola's lead over Sullivan as of Monday, per Fox NewsFox News
- over 25%share of votes remaining to be counted as of Monday, per Fox NewsFox News
Three sides of the story
16 news outlets reported this · Little coverage from liberal outlets
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Liberal4 outlets
Peltola campaign seeks list of rejected absentee voters
PBS NewsHour reports that a judge is weighing the lawsuit brought by Peltola's campaign. The campaign seeks a roster of absentee voters whose ballots were turned away in one of the races people follow most closely.
Center4 outlets
Judge's ruling and the state's privacy argument
The Seattle Times, running AP reports, leads its latest piece with the ruling: Judge Thomas Matthews found the campaign's request "not reasonable," given the time crunch for election officials. It sets out the Nov. 18 deadline for overseas ballots and the state's argument that the data would violate voter privacy. It quotes Peltola attorney Abha Khanna saying the review process is "going incredibly smoothly."
It also cites Michaela Thompson's affidavit on home addresses and confidentiality agreements. An earlier AP report, also run by the Seattle Times, covered the hearing, when the judge said he expected a swift decision. It adds that Sullivan's campaign backed the state and asked for equal, simultaneous access to any data released.
Conservative8 outlets
Sullivan campaign calls lawsuit an attempt to rig
Fox News leads with Sullivan's re-election campaign filing a motion to intervene on Monday. The campaign's motion argued that the lawsuit asks officials to act against Alaska law. Spokesman Nate Adams called it an attempt to "rig the system" in Peltola's favor and said the campaign is confident Sullivan will win once every ballot is counted.
Fox adds that the Division of Elections told the court individual voters have not yet been notified of rejections, so giving the campaign the data first would be improper. It reports Peltola led by just over 600 votes as of Monday, with over 25% of votes still to count, and ties the dispute to the "Decoy Dan" controversy and Gov. Mike Dunleavy's reopened investigation. The New York Post ran the Associated Press report on the hearing, headlined "but judge predicts quick decision."
It covers Peltola attorney Abha Khanna's argument, the state's privacy position and Sullivan's request for equal access to any data.
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All sources: 34 articles from 16 outlets
Liberal (5)
- HuffPost: 'Not Reasonable': Alaska Judge Rejects Peltola Campaign Request For Absentee Ballot Data
- PBS NewsHour: Alaska judge rules a request by Peltola campaign for ballot data in Senate race is 'not reasonable'
- PBS NewsHour: Judge weighs lawsuit brought by Peltola campaign over absentee ballots in Alaska's Senate race
- The Independent: Democrat Mary Peltola loses court bid for rejected ballot list as Alaska count continues
- Yahoo News: Alaska judge rules Mary Peltola's request for ballot data in Senate race is 'not reasonable'
Center (14)
- BBC News: Why midterm vote-counting is taking so long in America's largest state
- Newsweek: Mary Peltola’s Path to Winning Alaska Senate Race Outright
- Newsweek: Alaska Judge Rules Against Mary Peltola Over Ballot Request
- Newsweek: Mary Peltola Makes Alaska Vote Breakthrough Against Dan Sullivan
- The Hill: Peltola vs. Sullivan not alone: 24 Alaska races still too close to call
- The Hill: How the Alaska Senate vote count could play out from here
- The Hill: Peltola holds lead, but Sullivan gains after latest Alaska Senate vote drop
- The Hill: Alaska judge denies Peltola campaign request for list of rejected absentee ballots
- The Hill: Peltola surpasses combined Dan Sullivan votes after latest drop
- The Hill: Alaska governor gives vote count update in 'very close' Senate race
- The Seattle Times: Alaska judge rules request by Peltola campaign for ballot data in Senate race ‘not reasonable’
- The Seattle Times: Peltola’s lead over Sullivan grows, but Alaska’s Senate race is still tight
- The Seattle Times: Judge weighs lawsuit brought by Peltola campaign over absentee ballots
- The Seattle Times: Mary Peltola inches further ahead of Sen. Sullivan in Alaska’s tight Senate race
Conservative (15)
- Fox News: Peltola campaign loses in court on rejected absentee ballots as she maintains narrow lead
- Fox News: Peltola widens narrow Alaska Senate lead over Sullivan as counting continues
- Fox News: Alaska Senate fight heats up as Sullivan moves to block Peltola lawsuit over rejected absentee ballot records
- Fox News: Dunleavy calls Alaska voting system ‘very confusing’ as razor-thin Senate race frozen in time
- Just the News: Alaska Democratic Senate candidate Peltola loses suit over absentee ballot records, lead narrows
- New York Post: Mary Peltola’s campaign files lawsuit over Alaska Senate race absentee ballots — but judge predicts quick decision
- RedState: Peltola Loses Court Fight Over Absentee Ballot Records As Her Alaska Senate Lead Narrows
- The Daily Signal: Peltola Holds Narrow Lead but Loses Court Bid for Rejected Absentee Ballot Data
- The Daily Wire: Peltola Inches Toward Victory As ‘Decoy Dan’ Drama Deepens
- The Daily Wire: Alaska’s ‘Decoy Dan’ Mess Isn’t Over And The Next Count Could Change Everything
- The Epoch Times: Peltola’s Lead Shrinks as Alaska Processes More Votes
- The Epoch Times: Judge Denies Alaska Democratic US Senate Candidate’s Request for Ballot Data
- The Epoch Times: New Alaska Vote Total Pushes Peltola Further Ahead
- Washington Examiner: Alaska is still counting votes more than a week after Election Day: What to know
- Washington Examiner: Judge rules Peltola request for ballot data in Alaska Senate race ‘not reasonable’
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