(USNewsBreak.com) – The 2024 presidential election will occur in the next few months in November. While most states have both party candidates on the ballot, the certification deadline in Ohio and Alabama happens before the national convention dates. To that end, these states must craft legislation allowing the candidates to appear. Now, Alabama has ensured that President Joe Biden will appear on the ballot.
Democratic state Senator Merika Coleman sponsored the bill to ensure that Biden’s name would appear on November ballots. It passed in the Alabama House on Thursday, May 2, with every member voting in favor. Notably, nobody cast a dissenting vote. On the same day, Governor Kay Ivey signed the legislation. The new measure will push the state’s certification deadline to 74 days ahead of the election instead of 82 to accommodate the Democratic National Convention, which begins on August 19.
The Biden campaign had previously asked the Republican chiefs of Ohio and Alabama to accept provisional certifications, but they refused, saying they didn’t have the authority to do so.
In speaking about the legislation, Republican State Senator Sam Givhan said, “Alabamians have a deep sense of fairness” regarding elections and politics. He added that he wanted to believe the legislature would do the same “if the shoe was on the other foot.”
As it happened, it did. Four years ago, when the issue arose for then-incumbent Donald Trump, the legislature also provided an exception.
Now, attention turns to Ohio. The state legislature, where Republicans hold the majority, has until May 9 to approve an exemption to its 90-day rule. While the legislature has scheduled voting sessions the day prior, it’s unclear whether the issue of state exemption is on the agenda.
In a statement, the campaign made it clear that “Joe Biden will be on the ballot in all 50 states.” It cited bipartisan consensus for a fair election and noted that, so far, all of them “have acted in line.”
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