The president is likely to miss a key deadline to be certified.
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.
In a letter to Alabama Democrats and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) dated April 9, Mr. Allen noted state law requires parties to provide a “certificate of nomination for President and Vice President” at least 82 days before an election.
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.
“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,” he added.
Biden ‘Will Be on the Ballot in All 50 States’
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.”
