An Alaska judge has denied a request from the campaign of former Representative Mary Peltola for a list of rejected absentee ballots, leaving election officials to continue counting and processing ballots in a closely watched Senate contest that has not yet been called. The decision keeps the requested records out of the campaign’s hands for now, at a sensitive stage in an Alaska race where ballot review and certification procedures remain central to the final outcome.
Superior Court Judge Thomas Matthew ruled against the campaign’s request after weighing it against the current workload of the Alaska Division of Elections. In the ruling, the judge noted that the agency is “currently busy processing ballots from the 2026 general election,” a finding that placed the practical demands of election administration at the center of the dispute. The order does not resolve the Senate race itself, but it affects what information the Peltola campaign can access while the count continues.
The request focused on absentee ballots that had been rejected, a category that can draw heightened scrutiny in close elections because such ballots may involve issues such as documentation, signatures or other procedural requirements. The ruling underscores the tension between campaign access to election-related records and the operational burden faced by officials during the active counting period. In Alaska, as in other states, absentee ballots are subject to specific verification rules before they can be included in final totals.
For the election process, the immediate consequence is that the Division of Elections can continue its work without being compelled at this stage to produce the list sought by the Peltola campaign. The case also highlights how post-election litigation can emerge before a race is formally decided, particularly when campaigns seek information about ballots excluded from the count. Such disputes often test the balance between transparency, administrative capacity and the legal deadlines that govern certification.
Mary Peltola, a Democrat and former member of Congress from Alaska, remains a prominent figure in the state’s political landscape. The court’s decision adds another procedural development to an unsettled Senate contest, but it does not announce a winner, change reported vote totals or determine whether any rejected ballot should be counted. The next steps remain tied to the continuing work of election officials and any further legal action pursued by the campaign.
