Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race has led to widespread speculation about who will top the Democratic ticket on Arizona’s November 5 ballot. However, the ballot has not yet been finalized. According to Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, there is “plenty of time” to update it with the Democratic presidential and vice presidential candidates once they are decided.
Fontes assured that the process is not constrained by strict deadlines. However, certain key dates need to be met. The first important deadline is August 9, when the Secretary of State’s office must receive the names of the presidential electors from all political parties. These electors do not need to know who the nominee is at this stage; that decision will be made by the delegates at their party conventions.
For example, the GOP delegates have already chosen Donald Trump as their nominee, and the Libertarian Party selected Chase Oliver in May. The Democratic Party will nominate its candidate during their convention from August 16-19 in Chicago. Delegates are chosen at political party meetings according to party rules, and electors in Arizona are appointed by the political party chairmen, as state law requires. Arizona will have 11 electors, which corresponds to the size of its congressional delegation.
Arizona law mandates that electors cast their Electoral College votes for the candidate who wins the statewide vote. D.J. Quinlan, a former executive director of the Arizona Democratic Party, explained that the convention votes by the delegates determine which names appear on the ballot. This is true even if Biden had stayed in the race, as election officials wait for the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to officially announce their candidate.
Several other deadlines are crucial for preparing the ballot:
- August 25: The DNC must submit its presidential slate to the Secretary of State. This allows the 15 counties, which run the elections, to begin designing the November ballot.
- September 21: The Secretary’s office must provide a proof of the sample ballot to the political party chairs in each of the 15 counties. The chairs have five days to notify the Secretary’s office of any errors or omissions.
- September 27: County election offices should receive notice from the Secretary of State about write-in candidates who have filed nomination petitions.
- October 3: This is the printing deadline for the ballots for early voters. The ballots are then sent to the 15 county recorders for mailing to voters.
- October 9: Early voting begins.
- November 5: Election day.
- November 25: Canvass of 2024 election results.
- December 17: The Electoral College meets.
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In summary, Joe Biden’s withdrawal has opened up the Democratic ticket for Arizona’s November ballot, but there is a structured timeline to ensure the ballot is updated with the final candidates. Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes emphasized that there is sufficient time to accommodate these changes, ensuring that the ballot will accurately reflect the Democratic nominees once they are decided.
