Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen notified the Alabama Democratic Party and the Democratic National Committee via letter that they must provide a certification of nomination for President and Vice President of the United States no later than August 15, 2024, to appear on Alabama's general election ballot.
Allen wrote in a letter to Randy Kelley, chair of the Alabama Democratic Party, "It has recently come to my attention that the Democratic National Convention is currently scheduled to convene on August 19, 2024, which is after the State of Alabama's statutory deadline for political parties to provide a certificate of nomination for President and Vice President."
"If this Office has not received a valid certificate of nomination from the Democratic Party following its convention by the statutory deadline, I will be unable to certify the names of the Democratic Party's candidates for President and Vice President for ballot preparation for the 2024 general election," he added.
Allen cited the Alabama code section 17-14-31(b) in his letter, which states that the parties must certify their candidates "no later than the 82nd day preceding the day fixed for the election." Because the general election for president and vice president will be held nationwide on Tuesday, November 5, the 82nd preceding day would be August 15, four days before the National Democratic Convention begins.
The Secretary of State's office says the deadline has been published on their website since June 2023.
Meanwhile, the National Republican Convention will convene on July 15 and is expected to conclude on July 18, nearly a month before certifications are due to be submitted to Allen's office.
Allen said, regarding the Democrat candidates, "If those certificates are not in my office on time, there will be no certification and no appearance on the Alabama general election ballot in accordance with sections 17-13-22 and 17-14-31(a) of the Code of Alabama."
"With this letter, we are providing ample notification to the leadership of the Democratic Party at the state and national level that the burden of providing those certifications by the statutorily set deadline is a requirement that they must meet," he added.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email Bradley.cox@1819news.com or on Twitter @BradleyCoxAL.
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