Judge Denies Alaska Democratic US ​Senate Candidate's Request For Ballot Data

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Judge Denies Alaska Democratic US ​Senate Candidate's Request For Ballot Data Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times,A judge on Nov. 11 denied a request from the Democrat…

A judge on Nov. 11 denied a request from the Democrat running for a U.S. Senate seat representing Alaska.

Alaska Superior Court Judge Thomas Matthews turned down a lawsuit from Mary Peltola’s campaign that demanded immediate access to records identifying people whose absentee ballots the Alaska Division of Elections rejected, and the rationale for those rejections, including information potentially contained in a report provided to election observers.

The two versions of that report are not public records and thus do not have to be disclosed to Peltola’s campaign, Matthews said in a 17-page decision. The documents contain confidential information and preliminary data, and observers are not allowed to retain copies, he said.

Compelling the state to compile a report on reasons for the rejections is not reasonable, in part because the division is still processing ballots in the race for the seat, according to the ruling. The data could be gathered from a database but would need to be redacted first.

“The Division is actively in the middle of counting ballots. It has active deadlines it must meet,” the judge wrote.

“The Division asserts its staff is actively working long hours to accomplish its fundamental responsibility—administering elections. The timing of the Campaign’s request could simply not be worse.”

Even if the request was reasonable outside the busiest election time of year, it is not reasonable or required right now, the judge concluded.

Peltola’s campaign and the Alaska Division of Elections did not respond to requests for comment by publication time.

Absentee ballots can be rejected under state law if a ballot with a postmark is not postmarked on or before the date of the election, among other reasons.

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