In February, a majority of Michigan Democrats voted for President Joe Biden in the presidential primary. But with him dropping out of the race and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday, there have been questions about what happens now.
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Attorney General Dana Nessel, who are both Democratic delegates, issued a statement on Monday stating there is not a problem printing ballots with the correct nominees for the November election.
“As Michigan’s chief election officer and chief legal officer, we are committed to ensuring the security, transparency, and integrity of Michigan’s elections. That includes assuring voters that their respective party’s nominee for President will be on the ballot in November in accordance with Michigan law,” Benson and Nessel said.
On the GOP side, former President Donald Trump accepted the nomination at the Republican National Convention (RNC) last week in Milwaukee.
Biden dropped out of the race before the Democratic National Convention (DNC) convened on Aug. 19 in Chicago. By Monday night, Harris had secured enough delegates to win the nomination if those pledged to her follow through at the DNC.
There are nearly 4,000 delegates who will be voting at the DNC and Michigan has a total of 138 delegates. After the primary in February, 115 of Michigan’s 117 pledged delegates were dedicated to voting for Biden specifically.
Twenty-one delegates are unpledged, meaning they are not beholden to vote for any one candidate, unlike their pledged delegates which reflect the will of voters in the primary. Michigan’s unpledged delegates included elected leaders that had already expressed support for Harris, such as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, state House Speaker Joe Tate (D-Detroit) and U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Lansing).
Michigan had two pledged delegates who weren’t in support of Biden. More than 100,000 people voted uncommitted, as a part of a movement to protest Biden’s policy in Gaza, so two delegates are “uncommitted.”
“Presidential candidates are certified to appear on Michigan’s general election ballot as a result of the outcome of their respective party’s nominating conventions. Under Michigan Election Law, the name of a party’s presidential and vice presidential nominees must be delivered to the Department of State from the political parties within one business day of the conclusion of the party’s convention. Beyond these requirements, the rules and regulations for nominating presidential candidates are governed entirely by the state and national parties,” said Benson and Nessel.
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