It is believed that the timing will play a crucial role in determining whether President Joe Biden will be included on the Ohio ballot. In order for Biden to have a chance of appearing on the ballot in the Buckeye state, either the Republican-dominated legislature would need to make an exception to the ballot deadline or the Democratic Party would have to move up its convention. This information comes from the office responsible for overseeing the state’s elections, as reported by The Hill.
The deadline for certifying presidential candidates for the general election in Ohio is August 7th, which is approximately two weeks before the Democratic National Convention. Biden is currently the presumptive nominee to go up against Republican challenger Donald Trump.
According to Ohio law, a presidential candidate must be certified 90 days prior to the general election, which falls on November 5th this year. This was stated in a letter written by Paul DiSantis, the chief legal counsel for Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose, last week.
“Please contact me as soon as possible with any information that can assure this office of timely compliance with Ohio law,” the letter said.
Biden’s campaign stated on Monday that this would not prevent the president from being on the ballot.
“We’re monitoring the situation in Ohio, and we’re confident that Joe Biden will be on the ballot in all 50 states,” the campaign said in a statement.
In the 2020 presidential election, the Republican and Democratic conventions were both scheduled after the designated deadline. However, Ohio lawmakers made a decision to change the cutoff to 60 days, but this modification was only applicable for that particular election.
A letter addressed to Liz Walters, the Chair of the Ohio Democratic Party, emphasized that the legislature would need to take action by May 9 in order to create an exception to the 90-day deadline. Alternatively, Democrats could consider advancing their convention, although this option appears unlikely, as reported by The Hill.
It is worth noting that Trump emerged victorious in Ohio both in 2016 and 2020. His triumph in 2020 marked the first instance where Ohio supported a losing presidential candidate since it favored Richard Nixon over John F. Kennedy in 1960, according to the outlet.
