DEXTER, Mich. — Democrats will face considerable difficulty choosing an alternative candidate to President Biden on Michigan’s ballot, according to a county clerk who is a Democrat himself.
Michigan is a must-win state for Democrats, with a presidential winner running in it in every election since 2008.
“This is Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum. To all of you calling for a candidate change in the presidential race, please keep in mind that the Board of Elections is going to have serious issues with this,” former state Rep. Barb Byrum tweeted Wednesday.
Byrum is well-connected within the Michigan Democratic Party and served as a state representative in the same district his mother previously represented.
She said the first hurdle in replacing Biden in Michigan is the legal deadline to put a candidate on the ballot, which is less than a month and a half away.
“To be clear, Michigan does not have the worst problem. Our law requires that a major political party’s presidential and vice presidential nominees be certified by the state within one business day of that party’s national or state convention, whichever is later,” she wrote.
“The Democrats will hold their national convention from August 19-22 and their Michigan convention on August 24. So the deadline is August 26.”
That means if Democrats want to field a candidate to replace Biden, they’ll have to fast-track the process to compete in Michigan.
The deadline for delivering ballots to military personnel and absentee voters is also fast approaching.
“Ballots for military and overseas voters must be sent out by September 21, 2024,” Byrum said. [absentee voter] By law, ballots must be provided to Michigan voters by September 26, 2024.”
Of further concern to those hoping to field a candidate to replace Biden, Byrum said that deadline may have passed in other states.
“From my cursory understanding of other states, some states may already be past their deadline or may be in the very near future.”
Even if Democrats manage to push through a replacement plan in time, their troubles won’t end there.
“Any attempt to make change would almost certainly result in a flurry of litigation in any state,” Byrum added.
Those lawsuits and the need to test election equipment have caused delays that “may impact whether local clerks are able to meet statutory deadlines,” Byrum said.
Given the obstacles to replacing Biden as the nominee, doing so in enough states to win the election would be a major achievement for the party.
Nancy Pelosi and other leading Democrats have recently suggested Biden might step aside for another nominee, but Democrats would have to fight hard if they wanted a new nominee.
