Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R) has issued a stern warning to the Democratic National Committee (DNC), cautioning that President Joe Biden’s name may not appear on Ohio’s ballot in the November election if the DNC fails to address the state’s ballot certification deadline.
BREAKING: Unless DNC acts, Biden will not appear on Ohio’s November presidential ballot – Secretary of State pic.twitter.com/cmS74trXaG
— Election Wizard (@ElectionWiz) May 22, 2024
LaRose highlighted Ohio’s legal requirement for political parties to certify their candidates at least 90 days before any election. However, with the DNC convention scheduled for August 22, Biden’s official nomination would occur just 75 days before the November 5 election, violating state law.
In a letter to Ohio Democratic Party Chairwoman Liz Walters, LaRose emphasized his efforts to offer solutions in April, including a change in nomination dates or legislative intervention. However, the Ohio legislature has shown little willingness to address the issue. Speaker of the Ohio House, Jason Stephens, stated that there is insufficient support within the legislature to enact a legislative remedy.
Facing the looming deadline, LaRose emphasized that he is duty-bound to prepare ballots without the Democratic Party’s nominees if the issue remains unresolved. While expressing reluctance to take such action, LaRose underscored the lack of viable solutions from both the Ohio legislature and the Democratic Party.
LaRose also responded to lies from the mainstream media about the issue in a post on X, sharing a screenshot of an NPR article claiming that he had threatened to exclude the president from the state ballot and noting that “The Biden campaign is considering suing to ensure the president is on the ballot, after the Republican secretary of state said he would bar him over what is normally a minor procedural issue.” LaRose fired back by pointing out that he did not make any such threats, as he is just enforcing the law as it is written, while the entire problem was caused by the Democrats’ failure to follow the law.
“I didn’t schedule the Democratic Party’s convention. The Democratic Party did. I didn’t write Ohio’s current ballot access law. Democratic legislators did. Ironically, both can also fix this. I also appreciate that some might find the law minor or procedural, but I don’t get to decide which ones to enforce. Ballot access rules on the front end of an election are just as important as ballot counting rules on the back end. When you start bending rules, you might as well not have them,” he wrote.
I didn’t schedule the Democratic Party’s convention. The Democratic Party did. I didn’t write Ohio’s current ballot access law. Democratic legislators did. Ironically, both can also fix this.
I also appreciate that some might find the law minor or procedural, but I don’t get to… pic.twitter.com/EHlIDKoVJU
— Frank LaRose (@FrankLaRose) May 23, 2024
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine (R) expressed confidence that a resolution would be reached either through legal intervention or legislative action. However, as of now, neither avenue has resulted in a solution. Despite proposals from both the Ohio Senate and House, no progress was made during the last legislative session on May 8.
The Biden campaign remains confident that the President will be on the ballot in all 50 states. However, the failure to address Ohio’s ballot certification deadline poses a significant risk to Biden’s candidacy in the state, potentially disenfranchising voters who wish to support the Democratic nominee.
