CNN Host Asks Todd Blanche: Is It Illegal To Have Two Candidates With The Same Name On A Ballot?

[fsu1jreed]

 

[Rifler]

Unbelievable how Dana Bash demonstrates on a daily basis how she is truly dumber than a box of rocks...

 

[scotchtiger]

I had to ask chatGPT what's going on. Certainly seems like an intentional effort to mislead voters.


Alaska has an unusual controversy in its 2026 U.S. Senate election: two candidates named Dan Sullivan are on the same ballot, and Republicans allege that one entered the race specifically to confuse voters.

It's now escalated into a federal lawsuit that could affect certification of the November 3 election results.

Who are the two Dan Sullivans?​

	Incumbent senator	Challenger
Name	Dan S. Sullivan	Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.
Background	Two-term U.S. senator	Retired schoolteacher
Ballot designation	Registered Republican, incumbent	No party affiliation listed
Role in election	Seeking reelection	Independent challenger

The other major candidate is Democrat Mary Peltola.

Why Republicans say it's intentional​

Alaska election officials initially disqualified Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. in June, citing several suspicious circumstances:

1. He initially requested a ballot name using the incumbent senator's middle initial, S, even though his own middle initial is J.
2. He changed his party registration to Republican shortly before filing.
3. His campaign website reportedly resembled the incumbent's in its design and colors.
4. He worked with a political consultant who had previously supported Democrats.

These were findings and concerns identified by Alaska election officials, not proof that Democrats orchestrated the candidacy.


The Alaska Supreme Court subsequently allowed the challenger onto the ballot. He maintains that he's a legitimate candidate dissatisfied with the incumbent, and Peltola's campaign denies involvement.

 

[fskillet]

Didn't the GOP do this in 2022 in PA and in Florida?

 

[dpic73]

Didn't the GOP do this in 2022 in PA and in Florida?

I know they had a ghost candidate in Florida with the intention of siphoning votes from the Democratic candidate.

Florida GOP operative admits role in ‘ghost’ candidate scheme that defeated utility-targeted Dem

A Republican consultant's deposition reveals he OK’d the plan to run a third-party candidate to defeat Florida Power & Light nemesis.

floodlightnews.org

 

[Aardvark86]

Merely having two persons with the same name? No

intentionally placing same named person to mislead? May be ok too but it probably depends on what actual statutes governing “election fraud” actually say. If they’re general enough to use a term like “election fraud,” I’d think this would be an easy yes. Consider, for example how “consumer fraud” laws have been construed to prohibit trade practices, names, and products intended to or causing confusion. But I suspect that election laws are written a little more specifically.

 

[Scrubby]

Yeah, this is obviously not okay or acceptable behavior

 

[Knickslions69]

If you dumb enough to not vote for the person you want than you shouldn’t be voting anyway

 

[SB_SB]

If you dumb enough to not vote for the person you want than you shouldn’t be voting anyway

The upside of uneducated voters.

 

[firegiver]

I had to ask chatGPT what's going on. Certainly seems like an intentional effort to mislead voters.


Alaska has an unusual controversy in its 2026 U.S. Senate election: two candidates named Dan Sullivan are on the same ballot, and Republicans allege that one entered the race specifically to confuse voters.

It's now escalated into a federal lawsuit that could affect certification of the November 3 election results.

Who are the two Dan Sullivans?​

	Incumbent senator	Challenger
Name	Dan S. Sullivan	Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.
Background	Two-term U.S. senator	Retired schoolteacher
Ballot designation	Registered Republican, incumbent	No party affiliation listed
Role in election	Seeking reelection	Independent challenger

The other major candidate is Democrat Mary Peltola.

Why Republicans say it's intentional​

Alaska election officials initially disqualified Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. in June, citing several suspicious circumstances:

1. He initially requested a ballot name using the incumbent senator's middle initial, S, even though his own middle initial is J.
2. He changed his party registration to Republican shortly before filing.
3. His campaign website reportedly resembled the incumbent's in its design and colors.
4. He worked with a political consultant who had previously supported Democrats.

These were findings and concerns identified by Alaska election officials, not proof that Democrats orchestrated the candidacy.


The Alaska Supreme Court subsequently allowed the challenger onto the ballot. He maintains that he's a legitimate candidate dissatisfied with the incumbent, and Peltola's campaign denies involvement.

looks like dirty tactics to me, but is it illegal? Probably not.
If a person named Michael Jordan legally ran for office against a famous Michael Jordan and campaigned on "Vote Michael Jordan," that would likely be confusing but not automatically illegal.
If that same person filed paperwork falsely claiming to be the famous Michael Jordan or forged identifying information, that could become illegal.

However, many times its been discussed here racial gerrymandering is illegal. And yet we've watched the GOP try to gerrymander there way to more seats in the house by giving larger voting power to hispanics. Thats blowing up in their face, but is likely illegal.. anywho. Looks like the Dems are fighting dirty tactics with dirty tactics.