Ohio and Alabama secretaries of state give the phrase “politically motivated” new meaning.
Secretaries of state in Alabama (Wes Allen-R) and Ohio (Frank LaRose-R) are threatening to keep President Joe Biden off the November ballot because the Democratic National Convention is scheduled after ballot deadlines.
News organizations are treating these proclamations as though they have merit. As though there’s never before been a conflict between ballot deadlines and convention dates.
Framing matters, and I confess that my initial response to the headlines earlier this week was “what was the DNC thinking?”
But they do not have merit, which a quick look at convention dates makes clear. News organizations should ignore the pontification or at least frame it properly.
Here’s the calendar for the 21st century. Which election year had the least amount of time between election day and the convention?
| Election day | DNC | RNC |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 07, 2000 | Aug 14-17 | Jul 31 – Aug 03 |
| Nov 02, 2004 | Jul 26-29 | Aug 30 – Sep 02 |
| Nov 04, 2008 | Aug 25-28 | Sep 01-04 |
| Nov 06, 2012 |
Sep 04-06 | Aug 27-30 |
| Nov 08, 2016 | Jul 25-28 | Jul 18-21 |
| Nov 03, 2020 | Aug 17-20 | Aug 24-27 |
| Nov 05, 2024 | Aug 19-22 | Jul 15-18 |
Why that would be 2004, and the RNC. Did any Democratic secretary of state threaten to keep Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) off the ballot? Ummm. Nope.
And 2016 and the DNC. Did any Republican secretary of state threaten to keep Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-MA) off the ballot? Ummm. Nope.
Have there been any other conventions that ended later than the DNC will this year? Yes.
You see, according to NBC (and the dates bear this out, as least for this century), the incumbent party holds its convention second. The challenger, first. Why? Who knows.
The Washington Post headline — States warn Biden could miss ballot… — certainly doesn’t suggest this would be the third and fourth paragraphs:
The chair of the Alabama Democratic Party, Randy Kelley, this week accused the GOP secretary of state, Wes Allen, of “partisan gamesmanship,” noting that accommodations had been made for Republicans in the past when their national conventions were later in the summer.
“While this issue with convention dates has occurred many times in the past, notably with the Alabama GOP in 2004, 2012, and 2020, it appears to only be a problem this year now that the Democrats’ convention is behind the deadline,” Kelley said in a statement.
It should have been the lead.
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Known for gnawing at complex questions like a terrier with a bone. Digital evangelist, writer, teacher. Transplanted Southerner; teach newbies to ride motorcycles. @kegill (Twitter and Mastodon.social); wiredpen.com