Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Nov 1: The administration of US President Donald Trump has intensified its legal and investigative actions concerning key election contests, launching a criminal investigation into Alaska's closely watched Senate race and signalling a likely appeal to the Supreme Court over thousands of mail-in ballots in California, just days before the November 3 midterm elections.
The developments come as Americans prepare to elect members to all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 seats in the Senate, with the outcome determining whether Republicans retain control of Congress for the final two years of Trump's presidency.
Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate and a narrow advantage in the House. More than 51 million Americans have already cast their ballots through early in-person voting or by mail, surpassing the nearly 46 million who voted before Election Day during the 2022 midterms, according to the University of Florida's Election Lab.
In Alaska, federal prosecutors are investigating whether aides to Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola helped recruit a retired schoolteacher, Daniel J Sullivan Jr, to contest the election because his name resembles that of Republican incumbent Senator Dan S Sullivan.
The closely contested race is considered important to Democrats' hopes of gaining control of the Senate. The Justice Department has intensified its investigation following media reports alleging that Democratic operatives were involved in recruiting the second Sullivan.
US Attorney for Alaska Michael Heyman said on Friday that the reports had prompted a "surge" in FBI resources assigned to the case. He said several prosecutors had been assigned to the investigation and that investigative steps were being carried out "intensely and swiftly".
Peltola and her campaign committee have denied involvement in any effort to recruit the retired teacher. Daniel J Sullivan Jr has also denied coordinating with her campaign.
The controversy has divided opinion among voters in Anchorage. While some have said the two candidates were clearly distinguishable on the ballot, others expressed concern that the situation could confuse voters and affect the election.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration is considering approaching the US Supreme Court after a federal appeals court rejected its emergency request to make California set aside mail-in ballots from more than 20,000 registered voters whom the Justice Department alleges could be noncitizens.
The appeals court ruled 2-1 that the department had failed to establish sufficient grounds for the emergency intervention.
Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter said on Saturday that the administration would probably take the matter to the Supreme Court. He indicated that any such request would be made before Tuesday's election.
The Justice Department has also filed lawsuits against around 30 states and the District of Columbia, seeking access to unredacted voter-registration records.
On Friday, a federal judge ordered the department to stop threatening California election officials with prosecution for refusing to comply with its directives.
California Governor Gavin Newsom also warned federal judges that the Justice Department could seek warrants to seize ballots before election results are certified. However, he said he was not aware of any pending request. In a letter to the judges, Newsom argued that seizing ballots would amount to interference in the counting process.
Political tensions have also emerged within the Democratic Party in Michigan, where Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is facing Republican Mike Rogers.
El-Sayed's campaign has reportedly asked US Representative Haley Stevens, whom he defeated in the Democratic primary, to stay away from his campaign events until Election Day to avoid distractions.
Stevens has endorsed El-Sayed but has demanded that he condemn an advertisement by an outside group blaming Israel for high grocery prices and apologise for his past remarks about Israel.
Michigan State University political scientist Matt Grossmann said visible divisions within the party shortly before Election Day were unhelpful to El-Sayed's campaign. Polls, however, indicate that El-Sayed has largely consolidated Democratic support.
The administration's legal actions have raised concerns among state election officials and voting-rights advocates, who argue that the Constitution gives states primary responsibility for conducting elections.
Sean Morales-Doyle of the Brennan Center for Justice said the legal moves, even if unsuccessful in court, could create uncertainty, fear and distrust among voters and election officials.
Despite the disputes, a Reuters/Ipsos survey conducted between September 30 and October 5 found that 76 per cent of US voters were confident their ballots would be counted accurately. Confidence levels were broadly similar among Republicans and Democrats.
Trump, who has campaigned across several states over the past month, spent Saturday at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida. He was scheduled to return to the campaign trail on Sunday with visits to Kansas and Iowa.
With Election Day approaching, the legal battles in Alaska and California have added another layer of uncertainty to an already closely watched midterm contest.