Updated at 3:20 p.m. Thursday — Governor Kay Ivey has signed the bill into law.
On Thursday, the Alabama House of Representatives passed legislation to make certain that the Democratic nominees for President and Vice President, presumably President Joseph R. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, will be on the November 5, 2024 general election ballot. This measure passed the Alabama Senate in April and now goes to Governor Kay Ivey to sign.
Alabama law requires that the parties submit their candidates to the Secretary of State’s office a minimum of 82 days before the election so that the state has time to print the ballots. The Democratic National Convention occurs in late August this year, meaning that the Democratic Party won’t have their nominees known by that date.
Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen made this problem known earlier this year. This legislation will change the deadline from 82 days to 74 days.
State Senator Merika Coleman (D-Birmingham) is the sponsor of this legislation, Senate Bill 324 (SB324). It is carried in the House by House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels (D-Huntsville).
“I would like to thank Secretary of State Wes Allen, Mike Jones, and others for coming up with the wording for this,” Daniels said. He also thanked the Speaker of the House and House Republicans for putting partisanship aside to pass this.
Only Alabama and Ohio are in this situation.
“I am going to support this,” said Rep. Steve Clouse (R-Ozark). “I appreciate your efforts on this. Why the 82 days? Why is it just us and Ohio that do this?”
“We did make the change in 2020 for then President Donald Trump,” explained Daniels.
Clouse said that the Alabama Legislature set the 82 day deadline in 1975.
“Both parties moved their conventions to September for the Olympics in Atlanta in 1996,” Clouse said.
Clouse listed a number of elections over the last 50 years where the qualifying deadline was less than the 82 days and questioned as to why the Legislature does not fix this issue permanently.
“I am told this will fix it permanently,” said Daniels.
“This is ridiculous us having to do this every four years,” said Clouse.
“You have my commitment on working with you on a more permanent fix,” Daniels said.
“It is us and Ohio, why do we always have to be one or two or three different states?” Clouse asked.
House Speaker Pro Tem. Chris Pringle (R-Mobile) said that the state of Alabama has to print over 4,000 different ballots for every county and school district in the state of Alabama which is why the Secretary of State office needs 82 days to prepare the ballots and get them printed.
“I recommend that we pass this and move on,” said Rep. Pringle
“I don’t have a problem with the bill, and I know that is something that has to be done,” said Rep. Juandalynn Givan (D-Birmingham). “Why did we pick the Senate version instead of the House version?”
“The House version (which was sponsored by Daniels) hasn’t even been considered in committee yet,” said Daniels. “At this point the priority is getting it done.”
SB324 passed the House without opposition. It now goes to Governor Kay Ivey.
The Alabama Republican Party has endorsed this legislation. ALGOP Chairman John Wahl said in a statement that the Alabama Republican Party does not fear competition and does not fear Joe Biden.
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