Joe Biden's withdrawal from the presidential race has opened widespread speculation as to who will be the Democratic ticket at the top of Arizona's Nov. 5 ballot.
But that ballot, technically, has not yet been created. There is "plenty of time" to have it reflect whoever emerges as the Democratic presidential and vice presidential candidates, Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes said Sunday.
"We're not worried about calendars and timetables," Fontes said.
Key dates to create the ballot
There are deadlines, however.
The first one hits Aug. 9, when the secretary's office must have the names of the presidential electors from the various political parties. It's not necessary for the electors to know who the nominee is — that decision is made by the delegates at their respective party conventions.
The GOP delegates have already picked Donald Trump as their nominee, and the Libertarians in May selected Chase Oliver to lead their ticket. Democrats won't nominate a candidate until they meet Aug. 16-19 at their convention in Chicago.
Delegates are selected at political party meetings, following party rules. Electors in Arizona are appointed by the political party chairmen, as state law requires. Arizona will have 11 electors, reflecting the size of Arizona's congressional delegation.
Arizona law obliges electors to cast their Electoral College votes for the candidate who won the statewide vote.
It's the convention votes by the delegates that determine which names go on the ballot, said D.J. Quinlan, a former executive director of the Arizona Democratic Party.
“Even if Biden was staying in, technically they’re waiting for the DNC to announce their candidate," he said, referring to election officials.
Other deadlines
Aug. 25: The Democratic National Committee must submit its presidential slate to the secretary of state. This allows the 15 counties, which actually run elections, to start designing the November ballot.
Sept. 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 chairmen have five days to notify the secretary's office if they spot any errors or omissions on the ballot.
Sept. 27: County election offices should have notice from the secretary of write-in candidates who have filed nomination petitions.
Oct. 3: Printing deadline for the ballots for early voters. Those ballots are sent to the 15 county recorders to mail to voters.
Oct. 9: Early voting begins.
Nov. 5: Election day.
Nov. 25: Canvass of 2024 election results.
Dec. 17: The Electoral College meets.
Reach the reporter at maryjo.pitzl@arizonarepublic.com or at 602-228-7566 and follow her on Threads as well as on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @maryjpitzl .
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 'Plenty of time' to replace Biden on Arizona's November ballot, secretary of state says
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