CLEVELAND — Ohio’s Republican-controlled state legislature has approved a bill to secure President Joe Biden’s spot on the November ballot, ending weeks of political gamesmanship over a deadline that has been relaxed without drama in recent years .
The measure, which passed during a special session of the Senate on Friday, now goes to the governor. Mike DeWine, a Republican. DeWine, who called the special session to resolve the Biden issue and address unrelated campaign finance legislation, is expected to sign the bill.
“I don’t think anyone on this side of the aisle really feels like they’re going to vote for President Biden, but at the same time, Ohioans deserve a choice in this election, and that’s what we’re trying to give today,” said Sen. Rob McColley, a Republican, said Friday in support of the measure.
The passage of the bill is not expected to end the push to nominate Biden through a virtual roll call vote well before the convention in late August.
The Democratic National Committee announced that plan earlier this week, preferring to sidestep an unpredictable partisan battle and ensure Biden is certified as the nominee before the August 7 deadline in Ohio. The DNC indicated Friday that a Tuesday meeting for its Rules and Bylaws Committee to move forward on a resolution that would allow for the virtual roll call will go ahead as planned. A full DNC vote would follow.
“Today’s action reflects what we already knew: Since the beginning of this process, Ohio Republicans have played partisan games and attempted to undermine our democracy, while Democrats have defended Ohioans’ right to vote,” said DNC spokesperson Hannah Muldavin . . “Joe Biden will be voting in all 50 states, and we are already taking action to ensure that is the case, regardless of Ohio Republicans’ shenanigans.”
In the past, both parties have had to reconcile late-summer nominating conventions with previous state deadlines to certify candidates for the general election. Ohio, for example, relaxed the deadline four years ago for both Democrats and Republicans without much fanfare or controversy. This year, the issue only applies to Democrats in Ohio, as the Republican Party has scheduled a convention in mid-July.
Ohio’s Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose warned Democrats last month that Biden was in danger of not qualifying for the vote. In recent weeks, many Republican lawmakers have conditioned their support on pushing back the deadline for a vote to ban non-U.S. citizens from donating to campaigns for state ballot initiatives. DeWine asked the state Legislature to consider both issues in his call for this week’s special session.
Democrats have described the restrictions on foreign money and other elements of the legislation as an unnecessary “poison pill” that would weaken citizen-led petition campaigns. Ohio voters codified abortion rights in the state’s constitution last year, and progressives are backing a redistricting reform measure scheduled for the November ballot.
Republicans hold supermajorities in both the state House and Senate, but Republican leaders from both chambers have rarely been on the same page in negotiating the legislation, a reflection of the divided internal politics that have rocked the Ohio Statehouse in recent years put. The uncertainty frustrated Democrats and prompted Biden and the DNC to initiate the virtual roll call.
Ultimately, the House and Senate passed both the campaign finance legislation and the Biden fix in separate bills.
“This bill — just a stopgap — was conditioned by the attack on ballot initiatives,” Rep. Dontavius Jarrells, a Democrat, said in a speech Thursday in support of the Biden-related bill. “The political maneuvering and legislative shenanigans that got us here to today’s special session are a stark reminder of why we must end gerrymandering in Ohio.”
Jarrells and other Democrats expressed frustration that the bill only relaxed this year’s certification deadline, meaning presidential candidates from both parties could face a similar situation in future elections. Democratic amendments were introduced Thursday and Friday to make the solution permanent. Republican lawmakers said they are open to the idea but want more time to seek input from state and local election officials
“I think we need to get some input from the secretary of state,” Rep. Bob Peterson, the Republican who chairs the House Government Oversight Committee, said Wednesday. “I think we need to talk to local election boards. There are reasons why these time frames are put in place, so they can do the work.”
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
