Republicans say a late convention could keep Biden off some ballots. It hasn't mattered before.

Republican secretaries of state in Alabama and Ohio are warning President Joe Biden’s campaign that Biden might not be placed on their general election ballots because the Democratic Party’s late-August convention falls after state ballot deadlines.

It’s not the first time a convention has been held in late August — but it would be a first if any related ballot access questions weren’t solved easily, without fanfare or much controversy. And an NBC News analysis of other state deadlines suggests there aren’t likely to be other related hiccups for Democrats outside of these two states.

The Biden campaign is resolute: It believes he’ll be on every state’s presidential ballot no matter what, pointing to a long history of similar issues getting solved without any fight — including in 2020, in Alabama, Oklahoma, Illinois, Washington and Montana. It’s unclear whether Republicans will ultimately lend a hand to Democrats in either state to solve the issue in the most straightforward way: making small changes to state law.

John Merrill, a Republican who served as Alabama’s secretary of state until 2022, told NBC News that he thought the usually pro forma process shouldn’t fall victim to politics.

“We have a Democratic president today, but four years ago we had a Republican president. We’re going to have a Republican president again and we will have a Democratic president again,” Merrill told NBC News.

“It’s not something that needs to be advanced or promoted only because it’s a Democrat or a Republican [in office].”

He also noted that since the incumbent president’s party traditionally holds its convention second, both parties may find themselves bumping up against these deadlines again.

Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen