SPEAKIN’ OUT NEWS
Alabama’s Republican Secretary of State, Wes Allen, has raised concerns over the timing of the Democratic National Convention, which falls after the state’s deadline for parties to nominate their presidential and vice-presidential candidates for the November general election. In a letter addressed to Randy Kelley, Chair of the Alabama Democratic Party, Allen emphasized the importance of adhering to state law, which requires parties to provide a certificate of nomination by August 15. Failure to meet this deadline could exclude Democratic candidates from Alabama’s ballot.
Alabama’s Republican Secretary of State, Wes Allen, has notified both state and national Democratic parties of his concerns regarding the timing of the Democratic National Convention. “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,” Allen wrote in a letter to Randy Kelley, Chair of the Alabama Democratic Party. He added, “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.”
The letter, also copied to Jaime R. Henderson, Chair of the Democratic National Committee, highlighted Alabama code section 17-14-31(b), stipulating that candidates must be certified no later than 82 days before the election. The general election slated for November 5 makes August 15 the cutoff date. Allen underscored that his office had notified parties of this deadline since June 2023 and emphasized that failure to comply would lead to non-certification and exclusion from the ballot.
While the Republican Party’s national convention is scheduled well before the Alabama deadline, the Democratic Party faces a similar issue in Ohio. President Joe Biden’s nomination at the Democratic National Convention is anticipated to occur after Ohio’s certification deadline of August 7. Paul DiSantis, chief legal counsel for Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose, urged the Democratic Party to ensure compliance with Ohio law or seek legislative action to adjust the deadline.
The Biden campaign expressed confidence in resolving the situation, affirming their expectation of Biden appearing on all 50 state ballots. However, the challenge echoes a similar issue encountered in the 2020 election, where Ohio lawmakers adjusted the deadline to accommodate both parties’ conventions. This time, any legislative action or convention rescheduling must occur swiftly to meet Ohio’s requirements.
Despite the procedural hurdles, both parties aim to ensure their candidates are eligible for the ballot in key states like Alabama and Ohio, which are pivotal battlegrounds in national elections.
