COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio’s Republican GOP. Mike DeWine said Thursday he is calling a special session of the General Assembly next week to pass legislation guaranteeing president Joe Biden is on the state’s ballot in 2024.
“Ohio is running out of time to get Joe Biden, the sitting president of the United States, on the ballot this fall. If this does not happen, it is simply unacceptable. This is ridiculous. This is (an) absurd situation,” DeWine said.
The question of whether Biden will appear on the state ballot has become entangled in a partisan legislative battle to keep foreign money out of state ballot campaigns, a year after money tied to a Swiss billionaire boosted a successful effort to enshrine abortion rights in the red . state constitution.
The Democratic National Convention, where Biden will be formally nominated, falls after Ohio’s August 7 voting deadline. The convention will be held in Chicago from August 19 to 22.
Since Ohio changed the certification deadline from 60 to 90 days before the general election, state lawmakers have had to adjust the requirement twice, in 2012 and 2020, to accommodate candidates from both parties. Any change was only temporary.
Lawmakers had failed to come up with a solution by the May 9 date set by Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose.
DeWine said he spoke with LaRose on Thursday and said we’re “up against a wall.” LaRose told him the deadline is next Wednesday.
‘I waited. I’ve been patient. And my patience has run out,” DeWine said.
Alabama recently changed its law to ensure Biden will appear on the fall ballots. The bill for Alabama offers the president adjustments similar to those made four years ago for then-President Donald Trump.
