Yet another delay in the long-running election fraud trial of Gabrielle LeDoux

By SUZANNE DOWNING

Jan. 28, 2026 – Another month has passed, and another court date in the long-running election fraud case against former Anchorage legislator Gabrielle LeDoux has been continued.

A trial-setting hearing scheduled for Jan. 26 was “continued” at LeDoux’s request, pushing the next court date to the end of February — the latest in a long series of delays in a case that now stretches back nearly a decade. Court records show the case has been continued 15 times in the past year alone.

Eight years after the alleged voter misconduct occurred, the criminal case against LeDoux remains unresolved, raising questions about the effectiveness of Alaska’s court system and how easily prolonged delays can occur in high-profile prosecutions involving experienced attorneys and former lawmakers.

No retrial date has been scheduled since a mistrial was declared more than a year ago, despite repeated trial-setting conferences and the state’s formal decision to pursue a retrial.

LeDoux, a former Democrat-turned-Republican who represented East Anchorage’s House District 15, was accused of encouraging individuals who did not live in her district to register and vote for her during the 2018 primary and general elections. The alleged misconduct centered on absentee ballots and voter registrations within the immigrant Hmong community, drawing scrutiny after numerous voters were registered at a single small trailer.

The Alaska Division of Elections, Alaska State Troopers, and the FBI investigated the allegations.

Initial charges were filed in March 2020 against LeDoux and two associates, campaign aide Lisa Simpson Vaught and her son, Caden Vaught, alleging voter misconduct and unlawful interference with voting connected to the 2014 and 2018 elections.

In June 2021, an Anchorage grand jury indicted LeDoux and her co-defendants on multiple counts. Charges tied to the 2014 election were later dismissed after a judge ruled they were barred by the statute of limitations, narrowing the case to the 2018 election.

From 2020 through 2024, the case was repeatedly delayed due to Covid-19 disruptions, pretrial motions, evidentiary disputes, and scheduling conflicts. Trial dates set for July 2022, November 2023, and July 2024 were all postponed. In July 2024, the trial was delayed again after prosecutors submitted evidence late.

The case finally went to trial in Anchorage Superior Court from Nov. 18 to Nov. 27, 2024, before Judge Kevin Saxby. The nine-day trial included testimony from LeDoux, as well as from Lisa Vaught and Caden Vaught, who had already pleaded guilty to misdemeanor offenses and testified for the state.

LeDoux faced 12 charges, including five Class C felonies tied to alleged interference with voting in the 2018 election.

On Dec. 2, 2024, the jury reported it was deadlocked on all counts, and Judge Saxby declared a mistrial.

In January 2025, the Alaska Department of Law announced it intended to retry the case, stating prosecutors believed sufficient evidence existed to proceed. But throughout 2025, and now into 2026, no retrial date was ever set.

Court records show more than a dozen trial-setting conferences and status hearings between January and December 2025. Many were continued at the request of the defense, with at least one continuance requested by the state. The case was also reassigned from Judge Saxby to Judge Josie Garton early in 2025.

The most recent trial-setting conference before this week occurred on Dec. 8, 2025.

LeDoux, now 77, has pleaded not guilty to all charges and continues to maintain her innocence.

What began as an investigation into alleged voter misconduct in 2018 has become a prolonged and unresolved court saga that continues without a clear end in sight.