Alabama’s Republican Secretary of State Wes Allen has warned that President Joe Biden may not appear on the state’s general election ballot in November as the U.S. leader will likely miss a key deadline to be certified, owing to the timing of the Democratic National Committee’s nominating process.
The general election for president and vice president is scheduled to be held nationwide on Nov. 5, 2024. Accordingly, the 82nd day preceding this would be August 15, 2024. This date falls four days before the Democratic National Convention, where delegates select the party’s nominees for president and vice president, is set to begin, the Republican secretary of state said.
The late timing of his formal nomination for re-election means President Biden risks being left off the state’s ballot, according to Mr. Allen.
“It has recently come to my attention that the Democratic National Convention is currently scheduled to convene on August 19, 2024, which is after the State of Alabama’s statutory deadline for political parties to provide a certificate of nomination for President and Vice President,” Mr. Allen wrote.
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Mr. Allen’s letter was addressed to Randy Kelley, chair of the Alabama Democratic Party, and the DNC’s chairman Jaime Harrison.
Appearing to dismiss the claims made in the letter from Mr. Allen, a Biden campaign spokesperson told CNN: “Joe Biden will be on the ballot in all 50 states.”
“State officials have the ability to grant provisional ballot access certification prior to the conclusion of presidential nominating conventions,” the campaign spokesperson told the publication. “In 2020 alone, states like Alabama, Illinois, Montana, and Washington all allowed provisional certification for Democratic and Republican nominees.”
However, a spokesperson for Mr. Allen’s office disputed those claims, telling CNN that there are no “provisional certifications” for candidates under Alabama law and that “all candidates must comply with current Alabama law to gain ballot access.”
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Mr. Allen’s letter comes shortly after election officials in Ohio also warned state Democrats that President Biden risks not making it onto the state’s ballots due to the timing of the Democratic National Convention.In a letter sent to Ohio Democratic chair Liz Walters on April 5, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose said either the state’s lawmakers may have to pass an “exception” to the requirement or the DNC will have to hold its nominating convention earlier in order to correct the issue.
A Biden campaign spokesperson told ABC News that the campaign is confident it would be able to resolve the issue in Ohio. The DNC told the publication that it’s reviewing the letter.
That ballot included third-party and independent candidates, according to the publication.
