Members of Alaska’s Court of Appeals appeared skeptical Thursday about Alaska prosecutors’ claim that a Whittier resident from American Samoa violated state law when she ran for school board in 2023.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A state appeals court is being asked to dismiss felony voter misconduct charges against an Alaska resident born in American Samoa, one of numerous cases that have drawn attention to the complex citizenship status of people born in the U.S. territory.

The Alaskan Independence Party dates back to the 1970s, when it was founded by a serial political candidate who advocated for Alaska to secede from the U.S.

The case before the court challenges a Mississippi law that allows absentee ballots received after Election Day to count if they are postmarked by Election Day.

Former Rep. Mary Peltola raked in $1.5 million in the first 24 hours of her bid to unseat GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan in Alaska, a sizable haul to kick off what will likely be a costly battle for Democrats to flip a Senate seat squarely in Trump terrain.

Peltola, a Democrat who served one term as Alaska’s at-large U.S. House representative from 2022 to 2025, was widely seen as a prized top recruit for the race and for national Democrats, who have an uphill battle to reclaim control of the U.S. Senate in 2026.

Democratic former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola announces her challenge against Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan in this year's midterm elections