Alabama Legislature Moves To Keep Joe Biden On The Ballot In November
President Joe Biden is likely to appear on the ballot in Alabama after both committees in chambers of the Alabama state legislature passed legislation without opposition extending the deadline for parties to submit their officially nominated presidential tickets from Aug. 15 to Aug. 23 on Wednesday.
Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen, a Republican, warned the president’s campaign on April 9 that he would miss the state’s original deadline to be confirmed on the November ballot since he would not be formally nominated until the Democratic National Convention during the week of Aug. 19-Aug. 22.
“If this Office has not received a valid certificate of nomination from the Democratic Party following its convention by the statutory deadline, I will be unable to certify the names of the Democratic Party’s candidates for President and Vice President for ballot preparation for the 2024 general election,” Allen said in a letter to the Biden campaign, the Democratic National Committee and the Alabama Democratic Party.
But that issue is nearly resolved after key committees in the Republican-controlled legislature advanced legislation proposed by Democrats to extend the deadline without opposition. The bills in both the House and Senate extend the deadline for nomination certificates to be submitted to Aug. 23, one day after the close of the Democratic convention. The law, which still must pass both chambers and be signed by the governor, would apply only for the 2024 election.
This isn’t the first time the Alabama legislature has changed this deadline. In 2020, it did so to accommodate the Republican convention that nominated then-President Donald Trump.
“I’d like to think that if the shoe was on the other foot, that this would be taken care of,” Republican state Sen. Sam Givhan said during a committee meeting, according to The Associated Press.
Biden faces a similar issue in Ohio where Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose warned the campaign that the president would miss the state’s ballot certification deadline due to the end date of the party’s convention. Democrats are still working on a solution to keep Biden on the ballot in Ohio, but are adamant he will be on the ballot in all 50 states.