A county clerk in Michigan garnered praise among Democrats on Wednesday for her clear-eyed take on the major challenges the party would face should it opt to buck President Joe Biden off the ballot.
Several Democratic lawmakers have publicly called for Biden to step aside, including Rep. Adam Smith of Washington and most recently Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont.
Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum, a former Michigan state lawmaker, shared her thoughts on X to address "all of those calling for a change of candidacy in the Presidential Race": Not so fast.
Byrum asked that Democrats clamoring for a change remember that election administrators are "going to have some serious issues with that."
And her home state wouldn't even have the "worst of the problems," Byrum added, even with state law that requires a major party’s presidential and vice presidential candidates be certified with the state within a business day of that party’s national or state convention, whichever is later.
The Democrats plan to hold their National Convention from Aug. 19-22, and the Michigan State Convention on Aug. 24. That would make the deadline in her state, she said, Aug. 26.
Ballots to military and overseas voters must be sent by Sept. 21, she said, and absentee ballots must be available to Michigan voters by Sept. 26 under state law.
And that presents a logistical challenge that's not unique to Michigan.
Read also: 'Showing up with brass knuckles': Dem isn't pulling his punches with Pro-Biden support
"Every state has different statutory deadlines for ballot access and for Absentee Ballots to go out, and it is therefore dependent on identifying those dates and requirements 50 times," wrote Byrum, adding that her "cursory understanding of other states is that that deadline may already have passed for some states, or may be in the VERY near future."
And if Democrats make a swap and follow the rules for each state, they would "almost assuredly see lawsuits flying fast and often" in numerous states, she said. That could "delay and derail" local election offices preparing ballots — and any postponement threatens statutory deadlines.
"Essentially, efforts to prepare for the election would have to be put on hold," Byrum said. "That’s not a good thing in Election world."
To boot, election equipment undergoes extensive and lengthy testing once the ballot is created.
"So Democrats need to understand the ramifications of the actions that some are talking about," she said. "This may extend far beyond the choice for President and put a cloud over the election."
Not to mention, one of the candidates has already been known to cast doubt on the legitimacy of elections. Such a move and its subsequent consequences would give MAGA and its leader "even more ammunition" and provide an opportunity to "further erode the public’s trust in our elections process."
"And I will not stand for that," she said.
Byrum's thread was read more than 26,000 times on X and generated hundreds of comments, mainly from voters who thanked her for clearly laying out the procedural downsides of abandoning Biden.
@Andie00471 wrote: "Lordy thank you!!!
"You'd think the national press would know these things. But they just don't care," said @temple_winds.
"Great and important thread," said @cooltxchick.
"Nothing like handing the opposition the opportunity for dozens of lawsuits both before and after Election Day, plus for hundreds of state/county/local election officials to make their own decisions in an uncertain legal situation," said @Betsy_Cazden. "You've got to be kidding."
"Once again, national pundits aren't paying attention to HOW IT WORKS and WHAT HAS TO HAPPEN. Thank you for drawing attention to how big changes resonate at local levels," said @mearlyalter1.
"Thanks for this. Jets need to be cooled," said @The_Hank_S.
"Thank you for this incredibly insightful and thoughtful thread," wrote @morethanmySLE.
"Thank you for this wonderful and sometimes funny overview. I'm so glad you posted this," said @JaneotN.
