Elizabeth Franz/Reuters
President Joe Biden stops in Raleigh, North Carolina on March 26, 2024.
CNN
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Joe Biden could face another hurdle midway through the state's presidential vote, Alabama's top election official said Tuesday, given the timing of the Democratic National Convention, the president and vice president could be in the state in November. He declared that he would not be able to meet the deadline to be certified as a candidate. Tournament.
Alabama's Republican Secretary of State Wes Allen sent a letter to the Alabama Democratic Party and the Democratic National Committee, saying state law requires political parties to submit “certificates of nomination for president and vice president” at least 82 days before the Nov. 5 election. He said he was required to do so. August 15.
But the Democratic convention, where delegates will formally choose their presidential and vice presidential candidates, begins on August 19, four days after the deadline.
“After the convention, if our office does not receive a valid nomination certificate from the Democratic Party by the legal deadline, certify the names of the Democratic Party's presidential and vice presidential candidates in preparation for the ballot in the 2024 general election. ” Allen wrote in the letter.
Allen's notice to the Biden campaign mirrors a notice from the Ohio Secretary of State's office last week. Ohio similarly has a certification deadline before the Democratic convention, and the chief legal adviser to the Ohio Secretary of State told the Democratic Party that either the DNC would move up the nominating convention or the state legislature would create an exception to Ohio's requirements. Said it was necessary.
Asked for reaction to the Alabama move, a spokesperson for the Biden campaign said, “Joe Biden will be on the ballot in all 50 states.”
“State officials can grant access to provisional ballots before the presidential nominating convention concludes. In 2020 alone, states such as Alabama, Illinois, Montana, and Washington all had Democratic “We have granted provisional certification to the Republican nominee,” a campaign source said.
The Alabama Secretary of State's office pushed back on this claim, with a spokesperson saying, “Under Alabama law, there is no 'provisional certification' for candidates.” To access the ballot, all candidates must follow current Alabama law. ”
In 2020, the Republican-controlled Alabama Legislature passed a law “to coincide with the 2020 Republican National Convention” that changed the deadline for states to recognize political parties from 82 days before the election to 75 days of the same year. The 2020 Republican National Convention to nominate President Donald Trump for a second term was held from August 24th to 27th, with the general election held on November 3rd.
CNN’s Ethan Cohen and Samantha Woldenberg contributed to this report.
