
<p>Democrats may have failed in their attempt to keep Donald Trump off of the ballots in several states, but now a bizarre quirk of the timing of the Democratic Convention may keep Biden off of the ballots in Ohio and Alabama!</p>



<p>Both states, which carry a combined 26 electoral votes, have deadlines for appearing on the ballot that precede the Democratic National Convention, which is currently scheduled from Aug. 19 to Aug. 22 in Chicago. Lawyers for Biden’s campaign have asked the secretaries of state of Ohio and Alabama to accept “provisional certifications” before the cutoff, which would then be updated once Biden is formally nominated at the convention.</p>



<p>That’s where things have gotten sticky. Election chiefs in both states have identified solutions that are putting Democrats in the tenuous position of asking Republicans for help. Though former President Donald Trump is favored to win both states, any absence of a sitting president from the ballot could sway faith in the electoral outcome.</p>



<p>Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen told The Associated Press that he will not accept a provisional certification because he does not have legal authority to do so. Allen said he ;sent a letter ;to the Alabama Democratic Party notifying them of the date problem as a “heads up” so they could address the issue.</p>



<p><a></a>&#8220;I&#8217;m not denying anybody. I&#8217;m just telling them what the law is,&#8221; Allen said. &#8220;I took an oath to uphold Alabama law, and that&#8217;s what I&#8217;m going to do.&#8221;</p>



<p>The state’s Democratic Party chair, Randy Kelley, accused Allen of “partisan gamesmanship,” pointing out that Alabama has made adjustments to accommodate late Republican conventions in the past.</p>



<p>Ohio’s Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose sent a similar letter to the Ohio Democratic Party last week. The letter suggested the party needed either to reschedule its convention or obtain a legislative fix by May 9 to get Biden on the Nov. 5 ballot. The notion of striking a presidential candidate from a ballot began with a legal campaign last year to remove former Trump from various state ballots by citing a rarely used clause of the U.S. Constitution&#8217;s 14th Amendment prohibiting those who &#8220;engaged in insurrection&#8221; from holding office. After Democratic-dominated states, including Colorado</p>

Despite Being the Presumptive Nominee, Biden May Be Kept off Ballots in Ohio and Alabama
