Courts Reject Bid by Alaska Democratic Party to Remove Imprisoned Candidate From Ballot

A judge in Alaska rejected a bid by the Alaska Democratic Party to boot an imprisoned Democratic candidate from the ballot, a ruling that was soon upheld by the Alaska Supreme Court. Superior Court Judge Ian Wheeles on Sept. 10 said that the party did not meet its burden in arguing for a restraining order and injunction that would require Alaska officials to remove Eric Hafner, who is currently in prison in New York, from the November ballot. The Alaska Democratic Party said its preferred candidate, Rep. Mary Peltola (D-Alaska), will be harmed if Hafner remains on the ballot, but Wheeles said that’s not true in part because Alaska uses a ranked-choice system in which voters can rank their choices....