Alaska Public Records Act
Alaska law opening public agencies' records; Peltola's campaign used it to seek absentee rejections.
Mary Peltola's Senate campaign invoked the Act on 6 November to demand Alaska's absentee ballot reject codes; the state says the Act cannot compel a record it does not keep in that shape, and a court hearing was set for 10 November.
Last refreshed: 11 November 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Timeline for Alaska Public Records Act
Peltola sues Alaska for absentee records
US Midterms 2026Background
The Act, at AS 40.25.110 and the sections after it, provides that unless the law says otherwise, the public records of all public agencies are open to public inspection. Under AS 40.25.125, the superior court may order access for anyone denied it, without waiting for an administrative appeal.
That direct route to court let a campaign use the Act during a live count. Mary Peltola's campaign filed under it on 6 November, seeking the accept and reject code the Division of Elections gave each returned absentee ballot.
Alaska has met records demands about voters with privacy objections before. The state raised the same ground in the separate suit over its voter list.
The Act enters a live Senate count
Peltola's campaign brought its claim under the Act on 6 November in Anchorage Superior Court, naming Lieutenant Governor Nancy Dahlstrom, elections director Carol Beecher and her Division as defendants. The campaign is after a record of each absentee ballot returned, with the code officials gave it on review.
The state's answer tests the Act's reach. Its position is that a records request cannot oblige an agency to compile data it does not keep in that shape, and that opening up the codes would violate voters' constitutional privacy. Judge Thomas Matthews fixed a 10 November hearing after Senator Dan S. Sullivan's campaign sought to intervene the day before. Peltola's request arrives with her 4,250 first-choice lead heading into Alaska's ranked-choice tabulation on 18 November.
What is the Alaska Public Records Act?
Why is Mary Peltola's campaign suing under the Alaska Public Records Act?
Can a court force Alaska to release public records?
Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 11 November 2026. Editorial standards.