Joe Biden has dropped out. Here's how he can be replaced on Iowa's ballots in November

With President Joe Biden's announcement Sunday that he has ended his bid for a second term, Democrats will have to choose a new nominee to appear on the ballot this November.

That may be a complicated prospect politically, but logistically, the process should be relatively simple in Iowa, since the Democratic Party has not formally chosen Biden as the party's nominee. The nominee will be officially chosen at the Democratic National Convention next month.

How does the process work to get a party's nominee on the ballot in Iowa?

The deadline for presidential candidates to withdraw as the party's nominee in Iowa usually would be Aug. 16, which is 81 days before the Nov. 5 election, according to the Iowa Secretary of State's Office. The filing period for candidates this year is July 29 through Aug. 16.

But this year, since the Democratic National Convention will be held Aug. 19-22, Democrats will have five days after the convention to file their paperwork to the Secretary of State's Office.

It's possible the party may choose its nominee before the convention kicks off. Democratic National Committee leaders had previously planned for a virtual roll-call vote on the nominee before Aug. 7 to satisfy concerns with ballot deadlines in several states.

If the party's electors nominate someone other than Biden at the convention — which seems all but certain now that Biden has dropped out and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris — the Iowa Secretary of State's Office will accept the Democratic Party's paperwork designating that person as the nominee.

Do Iowa's Democratic convention delegates have to vote for Biden?

With Biden out of the race, Iowa's delegates to the national convention will have the ability to cast their votes how they see fit.

"The national delegates are able to make their own choices here," Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart said on a call with reporters Sunday afternoon.

Hart said Biden's endorsement of Harris "means a great deal," but she said it would be up to Iowa's delegates to decide how to cast their votes.

"I also am sure that the delegates recognize that this is going to be their decision, their process," she said. "But I absolutely think that Iowa Democrats can rally around Kamala Harris as our nominee, but we are very early in this process, so we will see what happens as the hours and days go by going forward."

Delegates pledged previously to any candidate can under national convention rules vote for anyone, if their choice, in all good conscience, represents their beliefs. This so-called good conscience clause was added in the 1980s. Before that, if delegates voted contrary to the way they were elected during the primaries, they would be replaced by alternate delegates who would cast a vote for the candidate who won the original delegate's vote.

When do Iowa ballots have to be printed for November's election?

County auditors can begin printing ballots as soon as Sept. 2, and ballots must be ready by Sept. 21 so they can be sent to military and overseas voters.

Early voting in Iowa begins on Oct. 16.

USA Today contributed to this report.

Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on Twitter at @sgrubermiller.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: How do Iowa Democrats replace Joe Biden on the ballot? They have time.