BREAKING: DNC Will Meet Virtually To Nominate Biden-Harris Ticket To Stay On Ohio Ballot

On Tuesday, the Democratic National Committee announced that national delegates would be nominating President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris as the party's nominees virtually ahead of the Chicago convention to ensure that the two Democrat incumbents could appear on Ohio's ballot in November. The decision came after Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R-OH) sent a letter to the Ohio Democrat Party stating that Biden would not appear on the ballot if he was not nominated by the August 7th deadline.

"Joe Biden will be on the ballot in Ohio, and all 50 states and Ohio Republicans agree," DNC Chair Jaime Harrison said in a statement, per Fox News. "But when the time has come for action, they have failed to act every time, so Democrats will land this plane on our own. Through a virtual roll call, we will ensure that Republicans can't chip away at our democracy through incompetence or partisan tricks and that Ohioans can exercise their right to vote for the presidential candidate of their choice."

As previously reported by the DC Enquirer, the state legislature was unable to shift the certification date to after the Democrat National Convention, where Biden will be officially nominated as the party's candidate. Ohio's ballot certification deadline is 12 days before the DNC convention, which begins on August 19th. To address the issue, Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH) called a special session on Tuesday.

"I've said from here to Colorado that it's in the best interest of voters to have a choice in the race for president. I'm also duty-bound to follow the law as Ohio's chief elections officer," LaRose wrote on X. "As it stands today, the Democratic Party's presidential nominee will not be on the Ohio ballot. That is not my choice. It's due to a conflict in the law created by the party, and the party has so far offered no legally acceptable remedy."

In a letter to the Ohio Democrat Chairwoman Liz Walters, LaRose explained that the Speaker of the Ohio House told the press that there would not be a legislative solution to ensure Biden gets on the ballot. "I offered two possible remedies: a change in the date by which your party formally nominates a presidential candidate or action by the Ohio General Assembly to create an exception to this statutory requirement," LaRose wrote. "With a legislative remedy taken off the table, I must remind you that the deadline is fast approaching, and the matter remains unresolved."

The state legislature attempted to change the certification date, however, they were unable to find common ground. Both the state House and the state Senate forwarded separate legislation to fix the issue. However, they could not come to an agreement after the upper chamber attempted to attach a ban on foreigners and green card holders from donating to ballot campaigns. 

Given the late date of the Democrat National Convention, two other states, Alabama and Washington, have also had to consider changing their certification deadline. Alabama was able to achieve this last week and Washington is expected to the do the same.

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