The Alaska Supreme Court has upheld a decision regarding a bid by the Alaska Democratic Party to remove an imprisoned Democratic candidate from the ballot. Superior Court Judge Ian Wheeles rejected the party’s request for a restraining order and injunction to remove Eric Hafner from the November ballot. Judge Wheeles stated that the party did not meet the burden of proof and that removing Hafner at this stage would cause confusion and harm to the public.
Hafner, who is currently in prison in New York, received 0.43 percent of the vote in the primary, ranking sixth, while the party’s preferred candidate, Rep. Mary Peltola, received 50.9 percent. The top four vote-getters advance in Alaska’s system, and Hafner was placed on the ballot after two candidates ahead of him withdrew.
Despite Hafner not residing in Alaska currently, Judge Wheeles noted that there is no legal requirement for him to do so. Hafner was sentenced to 20 years in prison in December 2023 for making bomb threats.
The Alaska Democratic Party and a voter who supports Peltola appealed the ruling, but the Alaska Supreme Court upheld the decision in a 4–1 ruling. Chief Justice Peter Maassen and Justices Dario Borghesan, Jennifer Henderson, and Jude Pate formed the majority, while Justice Susan Carney dissented without providing a reason.
Alaska Solicitor General Jessie Alloway and other officials praised the Supreme Court for preventing disruption to the election. However, Mike Wenstrup, chairman of the Alaska Democratic Party, expressed concern over the decision to keep Hafner on the ballot, calling it a dangerous precedent and embarrassing for the state. Please rewrite this sentence for me.
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