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

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama lawmakers advanced legislation Wednesday to ensure President Joe Biden will appear on the state’s November ballot, mirroring accommodations made four years ago for then-President Donald Trump.

Legislative committees in the Alabama House of Representatives and Senate approved identical bills that would push back the state’s certification deadline from 82 days to 74 days before the general election in order to accommodate the date of Democrats’ nominating convention.

The bills now move to to the full chambers. Alabama has one of the earliest candidate certification deadlines in the country which has caused difficulties for whichever political party has the later convention date that year.

“We want to make sure every citizen in the state of Alabama has the opportunity to vote for the candidate of his or her choice,” Democratic Sen. Merika Coleman, the sponsor of the Senate bill, told the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The issue of Biden’s ballot access has arisen in Alabama and Ohio as Republican secretaries of state warned that certification deadlines fall before the Democratic National Convention is set to begin on Aug. 19. The Biden campaign has asked the two states to accept provisional certification, arguing that has been done in past elections. The Republican election chiefs have refused, arguing they don’t have authority, and will enforce the deadlines.

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