Alabama lawmakers advance bill to ensure Biden is on the state’s ballot

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama Senate voted Tuesday to advance legislation that would ensure President Joe Biden appears on the state’s November ballot, mirroring adjustments made four years ago for then-President Donald Trump.

The issue of access to Biden’s ballots has arisen in Alabama and Ohio, as Republican secretaries of state warn that certification deadlines will fall before the Democratic National Convention begins on August 19. Alabama has one of the earliest candidate certification deadlines in the country, which has caused problems for whichever political party has the later convention date that year.

The Alabama legislation would push back the state’s certification deadline from 82 days before the general election to 74 days to accommodate the date of Democrats’ nominating convention. The bill, which passed without a vote, now heads to the state House of Representatives.

Democratic Pleasant Grove state Sen. Merika Coleman said the legislation will ensure “all people in the state of Alabama have the opportunity to support the candidate of their choice.” The bill was passed in the Senate without debate. Republican Senate President Pro Tem Greg Reed expressed support for the bill after the vote.

Trump faced the same problem in Alabama in 2020. Alabama’s Republican-controlled Legislature has passed legislation to change the certification deadline for the 2020 elections.

The Biden campaign has asked Alabama to accept the preliminary certification because it has been done before.

Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen has insisted he does not have the authority to accept provisional certification. An attorney representing the Biden campaign wrote in a letter to Allen that despite the legislation, there were still problems with the GOP date and that it was a preliminary certification that put Trump on the ballot in 2020.