Courts Reject Trump Administration Election Challenges

Donald Trump and congressional candidates made final appeals on November 2, the day before the US midterm elections, as control of Congress and election disputes in several states took center stage. The Supreme Court rejected the administration’s request to block California from counting ballots from more than 20,000 registered voters federal officials suspected were noncitizens, while a federal judge dismissed a Justice Department lawsuit over Alaska’s Senate race. The California ruling concerned mail ballots. A federal judge also ordered the administration to stop demanding that the state segregate ballots cast by people on lists of suspected noncitizens. California argued that the federal effort relied on vague accusations and could wrongly exclude eligible voters. The court actions came as voters prepared to decide races for all 435 House seats and 35 Senate seats. In Alaska, the Justice Department had sought to prevent certification of results if Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan narrowly lost. The department argued that voters could be confused by the presence of independent candidate Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., whose name resembles the incumbent’s. The judge dismissed the...