Judge Denies Peltola Request for Rejected Ballot Records

Superior Court Judge Thomas Matthews denied a request from the campaign of Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mary Peltola for the immediate release of records identifying rejected absentee ballots from the 2026 midterm elections. Peltola's campaign sued Alaska election officials last week to obtain the data as she maintains a 1.6% lead over incumbent Republican Senator Dan S. Sullivan with 86% of votes counted.

Judge Matthews ruled that the request was not reasonable because the Alaska Division of Elections lacks the capacity to generate the report while currently processing ballots. He stated that even if the request were considered reasonable at another time, it is not required during the peak election period.

The outcome of the race remains uncertain; if no candidate secures over 50% of the vote, the contest will proceed to a ranked-choice tabulation. A victory for Peltola would increase the Democratic Senate majority to 56 seats, following a midterm cycle where Democrats won majorities in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.