Alaska Removed a Senate Candidate. Lawmakers Say It Was Likely Unlawful.

Removed for Sharing the Incumbent’s Name

Alaska’s Division of Elections removed Dan J. Sullivan, a retired teacher from Petersburg, from the August U.S. Senate primary ballot. The division ruled he was not running in “good faith” and cited complaints from Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan and Republican party groups.

The division’s justification was a state regulation barring it from listing a candidate’s name “in a manner that is confusing or misleading to voters or compromises the fairness or neutrality of the ballot.” Dan J. Sullivan of Petersburg met every constitutional qualification for Senate: age, citizenship, and residency.

“What authority does the Division of Elections have to remove a candidate from the ballot, and has that authority been exercised consistently?”

Rep. Andrew Gray, D-Anchorage, Chair of the Alaska House Judiciary Committee, June 22, 2026

The Legislature’s Own Attorney Says the Removal Was Likely Unlawful

An attorney representing the Alaska Legislature issued a legal memo on June 18, 2026, concluding the disqualification was likely unlawful. The Constitution’s qualifications clause sets the floor for Senate eligibility, and states generally cannot add to it. Because Dan J. Sullivan of Petersburg met every federal requirement, the division’s use of a ballot-format regulation to remove him has no clear legal basis.

The House Judiciary and State Affairs committees held a joint investigatory hearing in Anchorage on June 22, 2026. Division of Elections officials declined to appear, leaving lawmakers to rely entirely on testimony from attorneys.

A Prior Case Shows the Division Treated Parties Differently

The inconsistency is documented. When the Alaska Democratic Party sought to remove Eric Hafner, a U.S. House candidate who was imprisoned out of state, the Division of Elections defended his right to appear on the ballot. The Alaska Supreme Court agreed.

In that case, a candidate’s political circumstances and motives were questioned, yet the division protected his access. It did the opposite here, acting on complaints from the incumbent’s own party.

Dan J. Sullivan of Petersburg filed a court appeal on June 23, 2026, asking a state superior court to overturn the division’s decision and restore his name to the ballot before the August primary.

What You Can Do Now

1. Contact your Alaska state representative and senator at (907) 465-4648 (the Alaska Legislature switchboard) and tell them to support a formal legislative review of the Division of Elections’ candidate-qualification authority. The August primary is approaching and a court decision is pending.

2. Submit written public comment to the Alaska House Judiciary Committee by emailing [email protected]. Tell them you want the division required to publish written, consistent standards for candidate removal decisions before the next election cycle.

3. Find your Alaska state legislators at akleg.gov/basis/Member/find_your_legislators.asp and ask them to attend or request transcripts from the June 22 hearing before casting any vote on election administration bills this session.

4. Follow the court case by monitoring the Alaska Court System’s public case search at courts.alaska.gov. The appeal was filed June 23, 2026 in Alaska Superior Court, and a ruling before the August primary filing deadline will set a precedent for ballot access statewide.

Sources

Alaska Beacon: Legislators Probe Decision to Remove Senate Candidate From Ballot

Alaska Beacon: Legislative Attorney Memo on Dan J. Sullivan Disqualification

Alaska Division of Elections: Candidate Qualification Regulations

Brennan Center for Justice: States Cannot Add Qualifications to Federal Office

Alaska Court System: Public Case Records Search