The US justice department has reportedly issued subpoenas following allegations that Democrat Mary Peltola’s campaign worked with party operatives to place a candidate sharing Republican senator Dan Sullivan’s name on Alaska’s midterm ballot. The dispute has also led to a lawsuit seeking to prevent certification of the Senate result if the incumbent is defeated.
The tactic, known as ballot stacking, involves adding candidates to an election ballot to divert support from an opponent. It is not illegal. Nevertheless, the US president and the justice department have brought a pre-emptive legal challenge aimed at blocking certification in the event of Sullivan’s loss.
In California, the Trump administration has launched a criminal investigation into allegations that thousands of noncitizens are registered to vote. The Los Angeles county registrar-recorder’s office confirmed that some of its employees had received grand jury subpoenas. Donald Trump has repeatedly described elections in the state as corrupt and rigged.
Concern about government corruption is also shaping the approaching midterms. An exclusive Harris poll for the Guardian found that an overwhelming majority of Americans believe government officials use their positions to benefit themselves financially. Three-quarters of voters said elected officials were more concerned with increasing their own wealth than with improving economic conditions for ordinary people.
Meanwhile, Ohio Republican gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy confirmed that his campaign had withdrawn an advertisement featuring Donna Arthur, the estranged mother of his Democratic rival, Amy Acton. The advertisement prompted a severe backlash after it emerged that Arthur had lost custody of Acton in 1978, following charges that Arthur’s second husband repeatedly raped Acton as a child.
Separately, Israel’s election has produced a dispute over the result after Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition lost its parliamentary majority. Netanyahu alleged that Arab Israeli parties had relied on foreign support to steal the election. He and his allies urged the internal security service, Shin Bet, to investigate allegations of vote buying.
Gadi Eisenkot, who leads the main opposition bloc, accused Netanyahu of attempting to derail the results. President Isaac Herzog rebuked the prime minister for “tarnishing an entire community”. Dean Livneh, the acting director general of the central elections committee, said the allegations appeared to lack a basis.
