(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose warned state Democrats on May 21, 2024, that Joe Biden may not appear on the ballot if he misses the state’s certification deadline.
The Ohio Democratic Party was informed about the state law requiring political parties to certify their presidential and vice-presidential candidates 90 days before Election Day by LaRose’s legal counsel Paul Disantis on Apr. 5, 2024, with the deadline being Aug. 7, 2024, and the general election being held on Nov. 5, 2024, National Review reported.
This is bad news for Biden because he won’t be nominated until the Democratic National Convention, scheduled to be held in Chicago from Aug. 19 to 22, 2024, after the deadline.
After Democrats were warned, LaRose said weeks later that neither the Ohio Democratic Party nor the DNC had responded.
The state’s top election official urged the party in a follow-up letter to work with Ohio officials in seeking an alternative solution.
“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,” LaRose said in a statement.
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.
As it stands today, the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee will not be on the Ohio… pic.twitter.com/Y5AkZBoow2
— Frank LaRose (@FrankLaRose) May 21, 2024
After Democrats offered to submit a “provisional certification” by the statutory deadline, the office of Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost informed LaRose that provisional certifications neither can be provided for candidates under state law nor can the secretary provide a different solution than the one written in law.
That means that either the state legislature would need to pass a bill that allows Biden’s certification or the Democratic Party needs to push back its dates for the DNC so Biden can be nominated on or before Aug. 7, 2024.
House Speaker Jason Stephens, R-Ohio, also said that the Republican majority has no intent to change the law to accommodate Biden.
One of the reasons why Democrats would not want to nominate Biden would be that they want to nominate someone else at the last minute, like Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., or Michelle Obama.
