MONTGOMERY, Ala. — President Joe Biden could be left out of the Alabama vote, the state’s elections chief said Tuesday, because the state’s certification deadline falls just days before the Democratic Party convention.
Alabama’s Republican Secretary of State Wes Allen made the statement Tuesday, a day after similar concerns were raised in Ohio that Biden could be left out of the ballot in that state.
Allen sent a letter to Alabama Democratic Party Chairman Randy Kelley, saying the state’s certification deadline of Aug. 15 is four days before the Democratic National Convention begins. Allen indicated that Biden’s name will not appear on the ballot unless the deadline is met.
“If this Office has not received a valid nomination certificate from the Democratic Party after its convention within the legal period, I will not be able to certify the names of the Democratic Party’s candidates for President and Vice President for the preparation of the votes for the 2024 general election.”, Allen wrote.
Kelley told The Associated Press on Tuesday evening that he had contacted the DNC about the issue to see what could be done. One option could be for the party to submit a preliminary statement.
“Joe Biden will participate in the vote in all fifty states,” the Biden campaign said in a statement. “State officials have the ability to grant preliminary certification of ballot access prior to the conclusion of presidential nominating conventions. In 2020 alone, states like Alabama, Illinois, Montana and Washington all allowed preliminary certification for Democratic and Republican nominees.”
Alabama law requires the names of presidential candidates to be submitted 82 days before the election.
Alabama’s Republican-controlled legislature passed legislation in 2020 to change the certification deadline for the 2020 elections. The bill stated that the change was made “to accommodate the dates of the 2020 Republican National Convention.”
The deadline was moved forward about a week that year. It was a one-time change that only applied to that year.
But he asked Kelley to call his office if he had any questions.
