The Ohio Democratic party has received a letter from the Ohio secretary of state, raising concerns about the possibility of Joe Biden being excluded from the November election ballot in 2024. The letter emphasizes the need for the Democratic National Convention to convene earlier or for the state’s statutory requirements to be revised or exempted in order to prevent this outcome.
In a letter addressed to Ohio Democratic Party chair Liz Walters, Frank LaRose, the Republican Ohio Secretary of State, pointed out that the Democratic National Convention, which is set to take place on August 19th, falls after the August 7th deadline to certify presidential candidates on the Ohio ballot.
According to ABC News, the legal counsel for Ohio secretary of state Paul Disantis wrote in a letter that the Democratic National Committee must either move up its nominating convention or the Ohio General Assembly must act by May 9, 2024 (90 days prior to a new law’s effective date) to create an exception to this statutory requirement. The Ohio Democratic party has confirmed that they received the letter and are currently reviewing it. Despite this development, the Biden campaign remains confident that the president will be on the ballot for the November election in Ohio.
The Ohio general assembly might pass an exemption waiver before May 9, or there would be a slim chance of moving the convention to an earlier date due to logistical and scheduling challenges.
In 2020, both the Republican and Democratic parties disregarded Ohio’s deadline and held their conventions. Additionally, state lawmakers reduced the requirement of being named on the ballot from 90 days to 60 days before the election.
