- The presumptive Democratic candidate risks not being on the ballot in Ohio
- Ohio official warns Biden nomination certification date conflicts with state law
- Republican State Lawmakers Reject Legislative Solution to Voting Deadline Issue
- READ MORE: Ohio Senate race is one of the most competitive in 2024
President Biden is at risk of not being on Ohio’s general election ballot in November, Ohio’s Secretary of State warned this week.
It is the latest in a series of warnings given to Democrats in the key state that was once considered a presidential battleground.
The problem is that Ohio requires parties to certify their presidential candidates at least 90 days before Election Day.
However, the Democratic Party will not certify Biden as the party’s candidate even though he has secured the necessary number of delegates until the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, which will not take place until the third week of August.
That means the nomination process 75 days before the election does not meet the Buckeye State’s requirements under state law.
It means the Democratic Party or the state legislature must take action, and Republicans in the state signaled this week that they won’t be the ones to solve the problem.
President Biden is at risk of not being on the November ballot in Ohio because the state requires parties to certify nominees 90 days before the election, but the Democratic National Convention is not until August 19-22.
‘I have said from here to Colorado that it is best for voters to have options in the race for president. I also have a duty to follow the law as elections director in Ohio. As things stand today, the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate will not be on Ohio’s ballots,” Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose warned Tuesday.
‘That’s not my choice. “It is due to a conflict of laws created by the party, and the party has so far not offered any legally acceptable solution,” he continued.
In the letter to the chair of the Ohio Democratic Party, he pointed to two solutions he previously suggested to remedy the problem: changing the date the party formally nominates Biden or through action in the Ohio General Assembly to create an exception.
But LaRose noted that Republican Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens said Tuesday there will be no legislative solution.
LaRose urged Democrats to find a solution that “respects the law and respects voters” and quickly.
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose sent a letter to the chair of the Ohio Democratic Party urging the party to take action after the Republican House speaker said there will be no legislative solution to ensure Biden is in the Ohio ballot.
LaRose warned that Biden risks not being on the presidential ticket if immediate action is not taken and said the Democratic Party has not offered a legally acceptable remedy so far.
Ohio Democratic Party Chairwoman Elizabeth Walters criticized Republicans for playing politics in response to the state House speaker saying there will be no solution from state lawmakers.
“Republican politicians in the House of Representatives have made it clear that they want to take away Ohioans’ ability to choose who they want to be president,” Walters said in a statement.
“Throughout this process, corrupt Columbus politicians have politicized the process and used it to play political games with Ohioans’ ability to hold their government accountable,” he continued.
Speaker Stephens said this week that there is no will in Ohio’s Republican supermajority to push back the Aug. 7 deadline to ensure Biden is on the November ballot. He called it a “hyperpolitical environment” this time of year.
Ohio House Democratic Minority Leader Allison Russo also noted that the issue is unlikely to have a legislative solution in the state, pointing to “dysfunction” in the state legislature.
He said lawmakers have been unable to put aside partisanship and infighting and suggested it will likely have to be a solution within the party or perhaps court action to ensure Biden’s inclusion.
Donald Trump is not at risk of not being on the Ohio ballot because the Republican National Convention will be held in July meeting the 90-day requirement in the state.
Republicans are not at risk of Trump not being on the Ohio ballot because the party will hold its nominating convention in July of this year.
Before the 2020 presidential election, Ohio Republican lawmakers moved the deadline from 90 days to 60 days before the election, meaning it fell to early September, allowing both parties that held their national conventions in August of 2020 meet the requirement.
Lawmakers also created a temporary solution in 2012 to ensure that Republican nominee Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama were on the ballot when both formal nominations took place in late August and early September.
Biden was also at risk of not running in the general elections in Alabama and Washington this year. However, Alabama lawmakers passed legislation earlier this month to ensure Biden is included.
In Washington, officials said they would allow a provisional certification to ensure Biden is on the ballot despite the deadline conflict.