MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama lawmakers on Thursday gave final approval to legislation to ensure President Joe Biden will appear on the state’s November ballot, mirroring accommodations the state made four years ago for then-President Donald Trump.

President Biden delivers remarks about student protests over the war in Gaza, from the Roosevelt Room of the White House on Thursday in Washington.

The House of Representatives voted 93-0 for the legislation. It now goes to Republican Gov. Kay Ivey for her signature. Ivey spokeswoman Gina Maiola said the governor will sign the bill into law.

“This is a great day in Alabama when in a bipartisan manner, we passed this legislation to ensure that President Biden gains access to the ballot in Alabama,” Democratic state Sen. Merika Coleman, the bill’s sponsor, said. The Republican-dominated Alabama Legislature approved the bill without a dissenting vote.

The issue of Biden’s ballot access has arisen in Alabama and Ohio because the states’ early certification deadlines fall before the Democratic National Convention begins on Aug. 19. Republican secretaries of state warned that Biden might not appear on state ballots.

Alabama has one of the earliest candidate certification deadlines in the country, which has caused difficulties for whichever political party has the later convention date that year.

Trump faced the same issue in Alabama in 2020. The Republican-controlled Alabama Legislature passed legislation to change the certification deadline for the 2020 election to accommodate the date of the GOP convention.

“This is nothing new. We just need to fix this so the president can be on the ballot, just like our nominee can be on the ballot,” Republican House Speaker Pro Tem Chris Pringle said during the brief debate.

The Alabama legislation will defer the state’s certification deadline from 82 days before the general election to 74 days to accommodate the date of the Democrats’ nominating convention.

The Biden campaign has said they are confident the president will be on the ballot in all 50 states.

Litigation was almost a certainty if Alabama Republicans had declined to grant Biden ballot access after making accommodations in the past for GOP nominees. The Biden campaign asked Alabama to accept provisional certification, saying that has been done previously in Alabama and other states. Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen said he would not accept provisional certification because he didn’t think he had the authority to do so.

In Ohio, the state elections chief has said the Republican-led Legislature has until Thursday to approve an exemption to the state’s 90-day rule, which sets this year’s ballot deadline at Aug. 7. No bill appears to be forthcoming, but leaders of both parties haven’t entirely ruled one out. The state House and Senate both have voting sessions scheduled for Wednesday.

Associated Press writer Julie Carr Smyth in Columbus, Ohio, contributed to this report.

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Frustrated in Selma

We mentioned yesterday that the mayor in Selma had suspended the police chief. He said he would speak on the topic, and on Wednesday he certainly did.

AL.com’s Carol Robinson reports that Mayor James Perkins let loose on the police department at a press conference. He gave examples of what’s been frustrated him, including a complaint that Selma PD failed to show up to provide extra protection at two Selma schools after two high school students were shot over the weekend. And he spoke about big “Freaknik-style” block parties that have taken place outside the police department, including one at which he said there were more than 100 shots fired yet no police action. And he said the city takes a constant stream of calls complaining about such issues.

Perkins suspended Selma Police Chief Kenta Fulford Tuesday. It’s the second time the mayor has suspended the chief; the City Council reversed his previous suspension.

The UMC’s new same-sex views

Possible changes that led the more conservative congregations to leave the United Methodist Church denomination over the past couple years have already happened.

AL.com’s Greg Garrison reports that the denomination’s bans on the ordaining of openly gay clergy and the officiating of same-sex weddings were lifted Wednesday at the United Methodist General Conference in Charlotte, N.C.

The changes to the “Book of Discipline” do not require clergy to perform same-sex weddings or churches to permit them at their locations, however.

Here’s the ideological impact of the UMC’s split: An issue that previously split the denomination passed 692-51. That’s over 90 percent voting in favor.

More than half Alabama’s UMC-affiliated churches have disaffiliated.

Gaza to Tuscaloosa

Protests calling for a ceasefire in Gaza have made their way to the University of Alabama campus, reports AL.com’s Rebecca Griesbach.

A few dozen protesters gathered, but they weren’t alone. Opposite their waving Palestinian flags were counter-protesters waving American and Israeli flags and even Donald Trump banners. But if you need some feel-good in the middle of all the acrimony, there was a moment where both sides were chanting a really ugly thing about President Biden.

The primary protesters were calling on the severing of ties between the university and defense contractor Lockheed Martin, the maker of weaponry that’s been used by Israel in its ongoing war against the Hamas government in Gaza that was triggered by the October 7 Hamas terror attacks in Israel.

The demonstrators would like the school to rename Hewson Hall, which was named after former Lockheed CEO Marillyn Hewson after her $15 million gift, to prohibit Lockheed from recruiting on campus, and to stop doing research that gets funding from the Defense Department, among other things.

Quoting

“I’ve been watching the Legislature for (more than a) half century, and the most serious of act of financial malpractice and the most serious act of the failure of this state is to not have a lottery. It has probably easily cost us $1.5 billion.”

Jess Brown, retired political science professor at Athens State University.

By the Numbers

That’s where Montgomery ranks nationally with an STD rate of 1,323 cases per 100,000 residents, according to recently released CDC statistics. Philadelphia was the highest city in the U.S. with a rate of 1,504 cases per 100,000.

More Alabama News

Born on This Date

In 1941, former major league relief pitcher Clay Carroll of Clanton. During the 70s in Cincinnati he had some great seasons out of the bullpen for the Big Red Machine.

In 1950, the late Randy Colley of Alexander City. Y’all know him as former WWF Tag Team champion Moondog Rex of the Moondogs.

The podcast

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) – The Department of Justice recently recommended re-classifying marijuana, which would remove it from the same category as other drugs such as heroin. This could have significant implications nationwide, but what would be the impact on Alabama?

According to Jefferson County District Attorney, Danny Carr, these federal changes won’t make much of a difference at the state level. If you’re caught with marijuana, the amount you have will determine whether you’re facing a misdemeanor or felony charge.

If you’re caught with a small amount of the drug, it could be considered a misdemeanor, indicating that it might have been for personal use. However, if you’re caught again with the same amount, it becomes a felony. Also, possessing 2 lbs. or more of marijuana is an automatic felony in Alabama.

The US Attorney General has recommended that cannabis be classified as a schedule three drug, indicating a low potential for dependency.

“The state still has the right to regulate marijuana as they see fit under what they call the state police powers, and right now, our state legislature has not made a move when it comes to decriminalization,” he clarifies. “As it relates to reclassification of marijuana, it only concerns federal cases or cases that happen in federal court.”

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