Justice Department Sues to Block Alaska Senate Certification if Trump-Backed Republican Loses The US Justice Department has filed a lawsuit to prevent the certification of the Alaska US Senate race if the Republican candidate, Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, loses to Democratic nominee Mary Peltola. The lawsuit claims that voter confusion about the two Dan Sullivans on the ballot could influence the outcome of the election in favor of Peltola. The lawsuit, filed on October 22, argues that any result impacted by voter confusion would violate the National Voting Rights Act's aim to protect the integrity of the electoral process. The Justice Department is seeking a court order to prevent the state of Alaska from certifying the election results pending an investigation into the matter. The lawsuit stems from the presence of two Dan Sullivans on the ballot: Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, the incumbent Republican, and Daniel J. Sullivan, a retired schoolteacher. The Justice Department claims that this could lead to voter confusion, potentially affecting the outcome of the election. Derek Muller, an election law expert at Notre Dame Law School, has criticized the Justice Department's legal argument, calling it "one of the worst ones I've ever seen." He believes the lawsuit is more focused on winning a press release than the actual litigation.