By Maria Ortiz
May 8, 2024, 01:00 AM EDT
Ohio House to vote Wednesday to put President Joe Biden on 2024 election ballot after the state announced there was a scheduling issue with the Democratic National Convention that prevented it.
Lawmakers unveiled a proposal Tuesday that would change the certification deadline to 74 days before the November 5 elections.
Current Ohio law requires officials to certify the ballot 90 days before the electionsbut the president will not be nominated at the Democratic National Committee until 12 days after that August 7 deadline in that state.
Secretary of State Frank LaRose said the date conflict put President Joe Biden at risk of not appearing on the presidential election ballots in Ohio.
“I think everyone agreed that this is good for democracy,” House Minority Leader Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington, said Tuesday. “We want people to have full access to the polls. And that is good for both parties.”
Ohio has one of the earliest voting deadlines in the country, according to the National Association of Secretaries of State, and this already caused the Legislature to vote in 2012 and 2020 to temporarily change the registration deadline for presidential candidates, because the parties scheduled their conventions for later.
The state’s legislative leaders want to prevent similar situations from recurring in the future.
Under the bill to be voted on Wednesday, parties that cannot meet the 90-day deadline for presidential elections in 2028 and beyond must alert the secretary of state’s office.
Following that notice, they would be allowed to certify candidates 74 days before the election or within three days after the convention, whichever comes first.
The bill heads to the House floor on Wednesday after leaving a committee on Tuesday. After it is likely to pass the House, this means that all it needs to be sent to Gov. Mike DeWine is a concurring vote from the Senate.
“Joe Biden will be on the ballot in all 50 states,” said Biden campaign spokesman Charles Lutvak. “In election after election, states across the country have acted in accordance with bipartisan consensus and taken the necessary steps to ensure that presidential candidates from both parties are on the ballots. And this election is no different.”
Keep reading:
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