Following President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential contest on July 21, numerous social media users asserted that his belated declaration prevented certain states from modifying their ballots to include the name of an alternate candidate. There are nine states “where Biden’s name cannot be removed and no one can be added,” according to an Instagram post. In the toilet, that’s more than 130 electoral votes.” Alabama, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington are among the states mentioned. The information was credited to X’s AI chatbot Grok in the publication.
Electoral votes at risk
As part of Meta’s initiative to dispel misleading information on its News Feed, this post was highlighted. Saying that Biden’s name cannot be “removed” because it hasn’t been printed on ballots yet is incorrect. Not the official nominee, but the presumed one was Joe Biden. Election authorities in the states mentioned in the Instagram post have confirmed to PolitiFact via emails and written comments that the party’s deadline for submitting the names of its nominees for the ballot has not yet expired. In a virtual roll call vote, Democrats are anticipated to select their nominee on August 7 or maybe sooner, during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, which runs from August 19 to 22. Vice President Kamala Harris, who is favored to win the race, received Biden’s endorsement. Following that, state election officials will receive the names of the nominees and add them on the ballot. Legal experts believe there is no issue placing someone other than Biden on ballots because there isn’t yet an official nominee and state ballot deadlines haven’t passed. But the U.S. Supreme Court may have the last say in cases brought by Republicans.
Biden’s ballot status
The Center for Election Innovation and Research is a charity that assists election authorities. David Becker, the executive director of the organization, stated on X that claims made by Democrats that they are unable to “substitute” a nominee for Biden in many states are “100% false.” Biden is not on the ballot in any state,” stated Becker. Democrats do not yet have a nominee. When they do, that candidate will appear on ballots in every state following delegates’ votes. The main parties have until August 23 to publicly declare their presidential and vice-presidential candidates to the secretary of state’s office, which will certify the candidates by August 28. This is according to a statement released by Secretary of State Wes Allen on July 21. 82 days before the election, on August 15, was the original deadline established by Alabama law for candidate confirmation. However, as this was prior to the DNC, legislation to extend the deadline was unanimously enacted by the state House in May. The Sept. 10 deadline for parties to nominate candidates was confirmed by Secretary of State Diego Morales in a statement released on July 22. In a statement released on July 22, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Attorney General Dana Nessel stated that the results of the party nominating conventions determine which presidential candidates will be on the ballot. The names of the nominees must be sent to Michigan’s State Department within one working day following the end of the party convention, which means that August 26 is the deadline set by state law.
State by State analysis
August 26 is the deadline for parties to submit their nominees for president and vice president to the secretary of state’s office, which is 71 days before the general election. The state’s ballot deadline on August 27 was confirmed by Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver on July 22. Toulouse Oliver declared, “The deadline for the New Mexico ballot has not passed.” The ballot deadline was delayed by the Ohio Legislature to September 1. The deadline was originally set for August 7, but it was extended by legislation enacted by the House in May.
| Topic | Detail |
| Key point | There are nine states that prohibit the removal of Biden’s name and the addition of any new names. |
| Total electoral votes | more than 130 electoral votes |
| Implication | Important electoral votes that might not be used to their fullest |
| Impact Statement | potential “That’s over 130 electoral votes in the toilet.” |
Restrictions and controversy
The Democratic nominees for president and vice president, chosen at the Democratic National Convention, will be listed as such on the general election ballot in accordance with the Pennsylvania election code. All known candidates’ names must be given to the counties by the secretary at least seventy-five days before the election. That day is August 27 this year.
