President Joe Biden’s 2024 re-election bid faces a potential crisis as the Democratic National Convention’s scheduled dates conflict with ballot certification deadlines in crucial swing states Ohio, Alabama, and Washington. Election officials warn that Biden risks being left off the November ballot if the DNC fails to certify their nominees before the states’ respective cutoff dates. The convention, set for August 19th, falls days after the August 15th deadline in Alabama and the August 20th deadline in Washington. Ohio’s deadline is even earlier, on August 7th. As the Biden campaign scrambles to address this issue, they argue that state officials have the ability to grant provisional ballot access prior to the conclusion of the nominating convention, citing precedent from the 2020 election when similar accommodations were made for the Republican party. However, with Republican-controlled legislatures in these states, it remains to be seen whether they will act to ensure Biden’s inclusion on the ballot. The DNC’s scheduling blunder has put Biden’s access to key electoral battlegrounds in jeopardy, setting the stage for a high-stakes political showdown as the 2024 race heats up. Will lawmakers intervene, or will Biden be forced to sit out the election in these critical states?
