Dunleavy calls Alaska voting system «very confusing» as Senate race stays razor-thin
Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy says the state's voting system is «very confusing» as Democrat Mary Peltola holds a 637-vote lead over Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan, with a final result likely days or weeks away.
Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy has described the state's voting system as «very confusing» as the closely watched U.S. Senate race between Democrat Mary Peltola and Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan remains unresolved more than a week after Election Day. Peltola holds a lead of 637 votes, roughly 48.17 percent of the total, and officials do not expect a final result for days, and possibly weeks.
The slow count stems in part from Alaska's ranked-choice system. Because no candidate reached 50 percent on Nov. 3, the race will move to ranked-choice tabulation rounds if no one crosses that threshold by Nov. 25. Key ballot batches are scheduled to be counted on Nov. 13 and Nov. 18, and the outcome will depend on how those ballots are processed and how voters ranked their choices. Dunleavy's comments add to a broader debate in the state over a voting method that has drawn both praise and criticism.
The system is also the subject of a separate ballot measure. A proposal to repeal ranked-choice voting narrowly leads, with 51.85 percent of voters supporting it, but the margin is still too close to call. Supporters of the repeal argue the process is difficult for voters to understand, a point Dunleavy's remarks echo, while defenders say the method gives voters more options and encourages broader support.
The race has been complicated by a separate controversy over the ballot itself. A second candidate named Dan Sullivan, dubbed «Decoy Dan» in local reporting, was placed on the ballot in what critics described as a scheme to siphon votes away from the incumbent. The Alaska Division of Elections initially rejected that candidacy, but the State Supreme Court ruled that the candidate must appear on the ballot. A New York Times report tied the scheme to Peltola's campaign, a claim that has drawn scrutiny.
In response, Dunleavy reopened a state investigation into the matter, and the U.S. Justice Department is also investigating. Neither the state nor federal inquiry has been resolved, and the results of those probes could affect public confidence in the election even after the vote totals are finalized.
The Alaska contest is not the only tight count drawing attention this week. In Georgia, incumbent Republican state representative Gerald Greene appeared to take the lead in a state House race after votes from a memory card were counted. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced the update on Friday, adding another close result to a cycle in which many races are being decided by narrow margins.
For Alaska voters and election officials, the coming weeks will test both the state's counting process and the public's trust in it. With ballot batches due to be processed on Nov. 13 and Nov. 18, and a ranked-choice round possible by Nov. 25, the Senate contest is likely to remain in the spotlight until a winner is clear.
Source: foxnews.com
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