阿拉斯加州最高法院裁定允许同名挑战者参加参议院初选Alaska Supreme Court Rules Same-Name Challenger Can Appear on Senate Ballot

阿拉斯加州最高法院于周一在听取法庭辩论后数小时内迅速做出裁决，正式确认与现任共和党参议员同名且同党派的丹尼尔·J·沙利文具备参选资格，并下令选举官员将其列入8月的初选选票。该州最高法院在一份简短的裁决书中表示，支持下级法院法官托马斯·马修斯此前的判决，但将如何具体在选票上列出该挑战者姓名的问题发回给选举局，要求其在现有阿拉斯加选票设计法律的框架内予以解决。最高法院同时指出，将在晚些时候发布一份解释其裁决理由的完整意见书。

The Alaska Supreme Court issued its ruling on Monday, just hours after hearing oral arguments in the case. In a brief decision, the state's high court affirmed that Daniel J. Sullivan, who shares the same name and Republican party affiliation as the incumbent U.S. Senator, is qualified to run for the office and ordered election officials to place him on the August primary ballot. The high court's ruling upheld the decision of lower court Judge Thomas Matthews, but sent the specific issue of how the challenger should be listed on the ballot back to the Division of Elections to be resolved within the confines of existing Alaska ballot design law. The Supreme Court noted that a full opinion explaining its decision would be released at a later date.

此项裁决推翻了州选举官员此前做出的该挑战者不符合参选资格的决定。此前，州政府官员以该挑战者涉嫌企图混淆选民为由将其除名。随着最高法院维持下级法院的判决，这名来自彼得斯堡的挑战者得以重回选票，与现任参议员共同竞争。该裁决也为这起备受关注的参议院席位争夺战扫清了法律障碍，使两位同名同党的候选人将同时出现在8月的初选选票上。

This ruling effectively reverses the earlier decision by state election officials who had declared the challenger ineligible under the claim that his candidacy was designed to confuse voters. By affirming the lower court's finding, the high court cleared the way for the Petersburg challenger to remain on the ballot alongside the sitting senator. The decision establishes the legal framework for both candidates of the same name and party to compete in the upcoming primary election.

此次争议始于阿拉斯加州选举局局长卡罗尔·比彻于6月15日做出的决定。当时，该部门认定挑战者丹尼尔·J·沙利文的参选申请并非出于真诚参选的实际意图，而是旨在混淆或误导选民，因此决定取消其参选资格。选举局在约两周前正式宣布了这一决定，认为该候选人的文件不符合诚信申报的要求。

The dispute began with a June 15 decision by Carol Beecher, the director of the Alaska Division of Elections, who disqualified the challenger. The division determined about two weeks ago that Daniel J. Sullivan's candidacy was not filed in good faith to declare an actual candidacy, but was instead submitted with the intent to confuse or mislead voters, leading to his removal from the primary ballot.

然而，州法院法官托马斯·马修斯随后推翻了比彻的决定。马修斯法官裁定，选举局将该挑战者除名的做法属于“滥用裁量权”。他指出，比彻的决定并非基于美国宪法规定的参议员参选要求（即年龄、公民身份和居住地限制），也缺乏州法律或法规的依据。这一判决最终得到了州最高法院的支持。

However, state court Judge Thomas Matthews subsequently overturned Beecher's disqualification, ruling that the Division of Elections had "abused its discretion" in removing the challenger. Judge Matthews noted that Beecher's decision was not based on the qualifications to serve in the Senate set out by the U.S. Constitution—which address age, citizenship, and residency—nor was it supported by state laws or regulations. This lower court ruling was ultimately upheld by the state Supreme Court.

现任共和党参议员丹·沙利文对与其同名同党的竞争对手提出了严厉指责，称其为“虚假候选人”。沙利文指控该挑战者意在通过混淆选民来欺骗大众，从而帮助民主党人夺取这一参议院席位。共和党人此前也曾积极寻求将这名几乎没有知名度的候选人从选票中除名，并坚称其并非出于“诚信”参选。

Incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan has leveled strong accusations against his same-name competitor, calling him a "sham candidate." The sitting senator accused the challenger of attempting to trick and confuse voters in order to assist Democrats in flipping the Senate seat. Republicans had actively sought the removal of the little-known candidate from the ballot, arguing that he was not running as a "good faith" candidate.

面对这些指控，挑战者丹尼尔·J·沙利文坚决予以否认。这名来自阿拉斯加州彼得斯堡的挑战者是一名退休教师，此前曾在美国林务局工作。他坚称自己不仅完全符合参选资格，而且是真心实意想要竞选参议员。他强调自己的参选意图是真实的，并非如现任参议员及其支持者所称的那样是为了误导选民。

In response to these allegations, the challenger, Daniel J. Sullivan, has firmly denied any wrongdoing. A resident of Petersburg, Alaska, the challenger is a retired teacher and former U.S. Forest Service employee. He maintains that he is fully qualified to run for the office and insists that he has a genuine interest in serving in the Senate, rejecting claims that his campaign was designed as a fraudulent effort to mislead the electorate.

在裁决中，阿拉斯加州最高法院指示该州选举局在现有选票设计法律的框架内，决定如何具体列出挑战者丹尼尔·J·沙利文的姓名，以在选票上区分这两位同名候选人。对此，挑战者沙利文的律师杰弗里·罗宾逊对裁决表示感谢，并表示他期望选举局在准备选票时会完全遵守选票设计法。阿拉斯加州法律部发言人萨姆·柯蒂斯也表示，州政府对法院迅速做出裁决表示赞赏，并将致力于执行该命令。

In its ruling, the Alaska Supreme Court directed the state's Division of Elections to determine how Daniel J. Sullivan should be listed on the ballot "within the confines of existing Alaska ballot design law" to differentiate between the two candidates. Jeffrey Robinson, an attorney representing the challenger Sullivan, expressed gratitude for the high court's decision and stated he expected the division to act in full compliance with ballot design laws when preparing the ballots. Sam Curtis, a spokesperson for the state Department of Law, noted that Alaska appreciated the quick ruling and would work to implement the court's order.

与此同时，现任参议员沙利文的竞选团队发言人内特·亚当斯表示，尽管对这一裁决感到失望，但竞选团队感到鼓舞的是，选举局局长比彻将能够利用其专业知识，在选票上将“彼得斯堡的骗局”与现任参议员丹·沙利文区分开来，从而造福阿拉斯加选民。

Meanwhile, Nate Adams, a spokesperson for the incumbent Senator Sullivan's campaign, expressed disappointment with the ruling. However, Adams added that the campaign is encouraged that Division of Elections Director Carol Beecher will be able to use her expertise to differentiate between what he called the "Petersburg fraud" and the incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan, for the benefit of Alaska voters.

此次关于同名候选人的法律争议发生在一场备受全美关注的参议院选举中。现任共和党参议员丹·沙利文目前正在争取其第三个任期，而前民主党众议员玛丽·佩尔托拉也已加入选战，试图挑战这一席位。这使得这场在深红州举行的对决可能演变成一场异常激烈的竞争，而该州在过去近20年中从未选举过民主党人担任联邦参议员。

The legal dispute over the same-name candidate unfolds within one of the country's most closely watched Senate elections. While the sitting Republican Senator Dan Sullivan is running for a third term, former Democratic Representative Mary Peltola is vying to challenge him. This matchup could set up an unusually competitive race in a deep-red state that has not elected a Democrat to the United States Senate in nearly 20 years.

此外，阿拉斯加州独特的选举制度也为此次竞选增添了复杂性。该州采用非党派初选制度，所有候选人不论党派共同竞争，初选得票前四名的候选人将晋级到采用排序复选制的普选阶段。在此制度下，两名同名同党候选人同时出现在初选选票上，可能会对选票分流及最终的排序复选产生难以预料的影响。

The dynamics of this race are further shaped by Alaska's unique electoral rules. The state utilizes nonpartisan primaries, in which all candidates run on a single ballot regardless of party affiliation, with the top four finishers advancing to the general election. The general election is then decided through a ranked-choice voting system, making the presence of two candidates with the same name and party on the ballot a highly unusual factor in the upcoming August primary.