Alaska judge denies Mary Peltola's request for rejected absentee ballot list

Alaska Superior Court Judge Thomas Matthew on Tuesday denied former Rep. Mary Peltola’s campaign request for a list of rejected absentee ballots, ruling the state’s Division of Elections cannot produce the data at this time. The decision comes as the state’s fiercely contested Senate race heads toward a runoff, with Peltola, a Democrat, challenging incumbent Republican Lisa Murkowski and former Alaska Department of Public Safety chief Kelly Tshibaka.

The request is part of a broader push by Peltola’s team to scrutinize absentee‑ballot rejections that could have swung the tight race. Alaska’s voting system, which relies heavily on mail‑in and absentee ballots, saw a surge in such submissions this year, and both parties have raised concerns about inconsistent handling. In the 2022 special election that put Peltola in the House, disputes over rejected ballots sparked lawsuits and a statewide audit, heightening sensitivity to any perceived opacity in the counting process.

Judge Matthew said the Division of Elections is “currently busy processing ballots from the 2026 general election” and “simply lacks the resources to compile a comprehensive list of rejected absentee ballots” for the 2024 contest. He noted that the court has no authority to compel the agency to produce the data without a clear statutory mandate. The ruling aligns with earlier decisions that have limited courts’ ability to intervene in administrative vote‑counting functions unless a clear legal violation is shown.

Peltola’s campaign has said it will consider an appeal, arguing that the information is essential for a fair assessment of the vote and could inform any future recount or legal challenge. Election officials say they will review the request again after the current workload eases. The denial underscores the tension between transparency demands and administrative capacity as Alaska’s voters await the final Senate results, which could shift the balance of power in a state long dominated by Republicans.