Lansing Sun

Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum said that any changes to their presidential nominee by the Democrat party would cause “lawsuits flying fast and often” across multiple states and could cause delays in election preparation.  

“It is worth pointing out that even if Democrats follow the strictures of the law state-by-state, you would almost assuredly see lawsuits flying fast and often in any number of states, if they attempt to make a change,” Byrum said in a post on X. “Such lawsuits threaten to delay and derail County and Local Clerks’ efforts to program the election and prepare ballots, respectively.”

“Essentially, efforts to prepare for the election would have to be put on hold,” she added. “That’s not a good thing in Election world.”

Byrum detailed in a thread on X that different states have different laws and deadlines regarding the candidates of the major political parties that will be put on the ballot. If the Democratic Party named a candidate other than President Joe Biden at their Democratic National Convention (DNC) on August 19-22, it could be already past those deadlines in some states and could cause major issues for the election preparation processes and deadlines local clerks are required by law to meet. 

“Democrats need to understand the ramifications of the actions that some are talking about. This may extend far beyond the choice for President and put a cloud over the election,” said Byrum. 

Michigan law allows for a candidate deadline two days after the party’s National Convention or State Convention. As the Democratic Michigan State Convention falls on August 24, after the DNC, the deadline will be August 26. 

For states like Wisconsin, however, the laws would only allow Biden to be replaced on the ballot if he willingly withdrew before the DNC and another candidate was named. If Biden does not wish to withdraw, only his death could remove him from the ballot.