Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed legislation into law on Thursday to guarantee President Joe Biden's placement on the state's November ballot, according to a spokesperson.
The Republican-controlled Alabama House approved the legislation with a 93-0 vote earlier in the day, following the state Senate's passage of the measure last month, also under GOP control.
Charles Lutvak, a spokesperson for the Biden campaign, praised Alabama for "already taking action to ensure that voters can exercise their right to vote for the candidate of their choice in November," noting the bipartisan consensus across states to include presidential nominees from both parties on the ballot. Republican secretaries of state in Alabama and Ohio had expressed concerns that Biden might miss the deadline for appearing on the general election ballots due to the Democratic Party’s convention schedule.
To address this, Alabama's certification deadline was pushed back from 82 days before the general election to 74 days, aligning with the timing of the Democratic convention. Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen had previously stated that state law requires the Democratic Party to supply his office with a certificate of nomination for president and vice president by August 15, before the convention's start on August 19.
In Ohio, Secretary of State Frank LaRose indicated that the issue could be resolved by either moving up the Democratic Party's nominating convention or by creating an exemption to the statutory requirement, according to a letter sent to the Ohio Democratic Party Chairwoman Liz Walters in April.
The Biden campaign had highlighted state officials' ability to grant provisional ballot access certification before the conclusion of presidential nominating conventions, referencing efforts in 2020. Democratic state Sen. Merika Coleman, the sponsor of the bill in Alabama, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Alabama had faced a similar issue in 2020, prompting state Republicans to adjust the deadline to ensure former President Donald Trump's appearance on the state's ballot.