Staff Reports
Alabama Democrats could be left high and dry come November when it comes to voting for President Joe Biden, thanks to some pesky scheduling conflicts. You see, the Democratic National Convention is set to go down just days after the deadline for parties to officially nominate their picks for president and vice president on the Alabama ballot. And who’s the bearer of bad news? None other than Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen, a loyal Republican, who dropped the bomb on the Alabama Democratic Party and DNC like a hot potato.
How a DNC scheduling error could mean Biden won’t be on Alabama’s ballot in November 🤣🤣🤣https://t.co/U3ZFT9uCgH
— FTMFW (@FTMFW77) April 10, 2024
In a letter to Alabama Democratic Party Chairman Randy Kelley and DNC Chairman Jaime R. Harrison, Allen made it crystal clear that if the Democrats don’t get their act together and submit a valid certificate of nomination by the state’s deadline, then no dice. That means no Biden or whoever he chooses as his running mate on the Alabama ballot. You snooze, you lose, am I right?
But don’t you worry, the Biden campaign isn’t breaking a sweat. They’re standing firm, like a flagpole in a hurricane, and declaring that ol’ Joe will be on the ballot in all 50 states, no matter what. They’re even saying that state officials can give provisional ballot access certification before the conventions wrap up, pointing out that Alabama and a few other states did just that for the 2020 election.
Now, hold on to your hats, because this ain’t the first time this crazy situation has reared its head. Back in 2020, the Republican National Convention ran into a similar snag, but the Alabama legislature came to the rescue with a one-time fix to make sure Trump got to strut his stuff on the ballot. But hey, when asked if he’s gonna do the same for the Democrats this year, Allen’s giving them a hard pass. He’s basically saying, “Sorry, folks, I play by the rules, and the rules are the rules.”
You see, Alabama law has been set in stone since 1975, saying that candidates need to be nominated a whopping 82 days before the general election. And wouldn’t you know it, the Democratic convention in Chicago is planned for August 19–22, which is cutting it real close, according to Alabama law. The clock’s ticking, and the deadline for the parties to square away their candidate certification is like, right around the corner, on August 15. Meanwhile, the Republican convention is way ahead of the game, set for July 15-18 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
So, what’s the bottom line here? Allen’s not messing around. He’s waving that Alabama law flag high and mighty, making it clear as day that if the Democrats don’t hand in those certification papers on time, they can kiss any hope of appearing on the Alabama general election ballot goodbye. Yeah, it’s like a game of musical chairs, and someone’s bound to be left standing when the music stops. Tick-tock, Democrats, tick-tock.
