ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The U.S.Department of Justice pushed Friday for a court order to isolate certain Alaska ballots to investigate potential voter confusion, while federal officials confirmed the existence of a criminal probe over a Senate candidate who shares a name with the Republican incumbent.The dueling developments came days before Tuesday's ranked choice general election, in a race headlined by two-term Republican Sen.
Dan Sullivan and Democratic former U.S.Rep.
Mary Peltola.The race is among a handful nationwide expected to determine control of the Senate.Alaska U.S.
Attorney Michael Heyman told reporters in Anchorage that the investigation has been ongoing for several months, but recent revelations from The New York Times that Peltola's campaign appeared to be involved in recruiting retired teacher Dan J.Sullivan have resulted in a "significant surge of law enforcement assets to Alaska."Separately, the Justice Department — as part of a lawsuit it filed last week — asked a judge to order that state elections officials isolate ballots ranking Dan J.
Sullivan to investigate potential voter "confusion" with the senator.The owner of a boat dealership in the candidate's hometown of Petersburg who had donated to his campaign told The Associated Press that an FBI agent visited the business and wanted to know whether he had been misled by Dan J.
Sullivan's candidacy.He said he had not and that "Everybody knows who the incumbent is."Alaska Assistant U.S.
Attorney E.Bryan Wilson, in a filing, said the government "seeks to preserve and segregate all ballots ranking Daniel J.
Sullivan for the purposes of investigating whether such ranking was the product of voter confusion, should such an investigation become necessary."The Department of Justice also filed with the court a list of proposed questions it seeks to compel the Peltola campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee to answer as part of the civil case seeking to block certification of t...