Updated Thursday at 3:20 p.m. — Gov. Kay Ivey has signed the bill into law.

The Alabama House of Representatives on Thursday passed a bill that would ensure that the Democratic presidential and vice presidential nominees, presumably President Joseph R. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, will appear on the ballot for the general election on Nov. 5, 2024. The bill passed the Alabama Senate in April and now heads to Gov. Kay Ivey to sign it.

Alabama law requires parties to submit their candidates to the Secretary of State's office at least 82 days before an election to allow the state time to print ballots, meaning the Democratic National Convention is in late August, meaning Democrats cannot announce their candidate before then.

Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen highlighted the issue earlier this year, and the bill would change the deadline from 82 days to 74 days.

The bill, Senate Bill 324 (SB324), is sponsored by State Senator Merika Coleman (D-Birmingham). The bill was introduced in the House by House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels (D-Huntsville).

“I want to thank Secretary of State Wes Allen, Mike Jones and others who worked on the language in this bill,” Daniels said, adding that she also thanked the House speaker and Republican members of Congress for putting partisanship aside to pass the bill.

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Only Alabama and Ohio are in this situation.

“I support this,” said Rep. Steve Crouse (R-Ozark). “I appreciate your work on this. Why 82 days? Why are we and Ohio the only ones doing this?”

“We made the change in 2020 for then-President Donald Trump,” Daniels explained.

Crouse said the Alabama Legislature set the 82-day limit in 1975.

“Both parties moved their conventions to September because of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics,” Close said.

Kloos cited numerous instances in elections over the past 50 years in which the qualification period was shorter than 82 days and questioned why the Legislature doesn't fix the problem permanently.

“They said this would be a permanent fix,” Daniels said.

“It's ridiculous that we have to do this every four years,” Close said.

“We are committed to working with you toward a more lasting solution,” Daniels said.

“Why does it always have to be us and Ohio, and then we split off into one, two or three different states?” Crouse asked.

House Speaker Pro Tem Chris Pringle (R-Mobile) said Alabama needs to print more than 4,000 ballots for each county and school district in the state, giving the Secretary of State's office 82 days to prepare and print the ballots.

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“I encourage you to pass this bill and move forward,” Pringle said.

“I have no problem with this bill. I know this is something that needs to be done,” said Rep. Juandalyn Givan (D-Birmingham). “Why did you choose the Senate version over the House version?”

“The House bill (proposed by Daniels) hasn't even been out of committee yet,” Daniels said. “Right now, our number one priority is getting it passed.”

SB 324 passed the House without opposition and now goes to Gov. Kay Ivey.

The Alabama Republican Party supports the bill. Alabama Republican Party Chairman John Wall said in a statement that the Alabama Republican Party is not afraid of competition and is not afraid of Joe Biden.

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