MONTGOMERY — The Alabama House approved legislation today to alter the deadline for the certification of candidates for public office.
The bill would allow for President Joe Biden to appear on the November presidential ballot in Alabama.
The measure (Senate Bill 324) was passed by the Senate in April before today’s approval in the House. It now goes to Gov. Kay Ivey for her signature.
“This is a great day in Alabama when in a bipartisan manner, we passed this legislation to ensure that President Joe Biden gains access to the ballot in Alabama,” said Sen. Merika Coleman (D-Birmingham), the bill sponsor. “The Republicans that spoke on this bill highlighted the times they’ve had to do the same for their party’s nominee. I’m thankful to all of my Democratic colleagues in both bodies who worked to get this done to ensure that all Alabamians have the opportunity to vote for the candidate of their choice.
“I’m committed to working with them and the Secretary of State’s Office to come up with a more permanent fix so we won’t be in this position again.”
Before the bill was passed, Alabama law required the parties submit their candidates to the Secretary of State’s office a minimum of 82 days before the election to allow the state time to print the ballots.
The Democratic National Convention is Aug. 19, meaning the party’s nominees won’t be official by the previous deadline.
This legislation will change the deadline from 82 days to 74 days.
“The most important thing is that we’ve been able to fix the issue quickly and I look forward to working with my colleagues across the aisle to work on a permanent solution, since this has affected both political parties over the years as convention dates often change,” said House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels (D-Huntsville), who introduced the House version (HB448). “This legislation had unanimous support from the Alabama House Democratic Caucus, as well as our colleagues in the Senate Democratic Caucus.
“This bill ensures that Alabamians will be able to vote for the candidate of their choice.”
This mutual solution was crafted in cooperation with Secretary of State Wes Allen, as an improvement upon the one-time-fix enacted for then-President Donald Trump during the 2020 presidential election.
