COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The rare special session that Republican Gov. Mike DeWine has called to pass legislation that would put President Joe Biden on the fall ballot in Ohio could last several days.
Due to differing interpretations of the proclamation DeWine issued Thursday, the Ohio Senate has scheduled a single day of activity Tuesday, but a spokesperson said the Ohio House plans to start with two days of committee hearings before voting on it Thursday.
A Senate spokesman said it is possible the Senate will convene on Tuesday and then pause to wait for the House of Representatives.
Negotiations between the chambers on a solution to Biden’s voting issue began on Friday. State Rep. Bill Seitz told reporters on a conference call that he and Sen. Rob McColley, both Republicans, are leading the talks.
The legislation simply needs to move the August 7 election deadline in Ohio to fall after the Democratic National Convention where Biden will be formally nominated, scheduled for August 19-22 in Chicago. Ohio has pushed back the deadline for candidates from both parties in the past.
But the Senate sent its version of the ballot measure to the House of Representatives after imposing a ban on foreigners donating to voting campaigns in Ohio, making that no longer possible.
DeWine urged lawmakers during the special session to pass the combination measure — but Democrats have resisted, saying the proposal goes beyond the ban on aliens by adding requirements intended to make it more difficult to organize future voting campaigns in the state.
That’s after Ohio voters overwhelmingly approved three ballot measures last year, including a constitutional amendment protecting abortion access that Republicans opposed and an introduced statute legalizing marijuana for adults.
A “clean” House bill that includes only the Ohio voting deadline adjustment could also be considered.
