Republican secretaries of state in Ohio and Alabama had warned the Biden campaign that President Joe Biden might not appear on their ballots because of the timing of his expected nomination. The Biden campaign is confident that he will be on the ballot in both states.
But the situation has created new headaches for Democrats and fueled election officials' distrust of a process long considered apolitical.. Alabama Democratic Party Chairman Randy Kelley this week accused Republican Secretary of State Wes Allen of "partisan political gamesmanship" Alabama Democratic state Sen. Merika Coleman introduced a bill that would push the deadline in that state to Aug. 23, the Friday after the end of the Democratic National Convention. If the bill doesn't pass, she added, "Republicans will have to prepare for one of the largest write-in campaigns our state has ever seen" In 2020 alone, states like Alabama, Illinois, Montana and Washington have all allowed provisional certification for Democratic and Republican candidates. In Ohio, the deadline for presidential candidates to be certified 90 days before the election, which this year is Aug. 7.