Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signs bill to keep Joe Biden on November ballot

The Alabama House of Representatives Wednesday approved legislation to ensure that President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will  appear on the November ballot in Alabama.

SB 324, sponsored by Sen. Merika Coleman, D-Pleasant Grove, reduces the number of days that a political party must certify the names of candidates 74 days prior to an election instead of the 82 days stated currently.

The Senate passed its version April 23. The House voted 100-0 with 2 members voting to abstain.

“This piece of legislation by Sen. Coleman and colleagues in the Alabama Senate will give us an opportunity to position the president of being on the ballot in the state of Alabama,” said House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels, D-Huntsville.

In a letter to the national and state Democratic parties on April 9, Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen, a Republican, said Biden and Harris might not appear on the November ballot because the Democratic National Convention, scheduled to begin on Aug. 19, will take place after an Aug. 15 state deadline to be placed on the ballot.

In 2020, the Republican National Convention took place after the Aug. 13 deadline set for that year. The Legislature extended the deadline to Aug. 20, but the Republican Convention certified candidates on Aug. 24. Secretary of State John Merrill accepted a provisional certification from the Republican Party on Aug. 20 and a certification on Aug. 27 after the nominating convention.

Attorneys for the Biden re-election campaign proposed using a provisional certification for Biden and Harris. Allen said he would not accept one.

A similar proposal began in the House, but members decided to move forward with the Senate version to move the matter more quickly through the Legislature.

“I am going to support this,” said Rep. Steve Clouse, R-Ozark. “I am glad we are doing this, and I appreciate your efforts on this. I have been trying to get some answers ever since this issue came up of why the 82 days. Reading from press reports, why is it just us and Ohio that are in this situation?”

Daniels said it was a rule from the Secretary of State’s Office.

Clouse also said there were exceptions made in various cases in the past. Clouse, citing press reports, said in 1996, both parties hosted their nominating conventions at a different time to accommodate the Olympics that year.

Clouse said that in other years the requirement to have the names certified a specific number of days before the election was different from the 82 days that is currently in statute.

“I just don’t know if we are getting to the root of a permanent fix,” Clouse said. “If you could look into that for the next session, I will be ready to work with you, because this is ridiculous that we have to do every four years.”

Others asked why the House version did not move forward instead of the bill that was proposed in the Senate.

“We would have definitely wanted to sign on to this, especially with more Democrats in the House, with all due respect to all those involved as to why we took the Senate version then the House version,” said Rep. Juandalynn Givan, D-Birmingham.

Daniels said it was a matter of time with the version of the Senate moving first.

The bill goes to Gov. Kay Ivey. A message seeking comment was left with the governor on Thursday.