The Ohio secretary of state has sent a letter to the Ohio Democratic Party warning that Joe Biden may be removed from the November election ballot in 2024 unless the Democratic National Convention meets sooner or statutory criteria in the state are amended or waived.
According to a letter from Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a Republican, to Ohio Democratic Party Chair Liz Walters, the Democratic National Convention, which is scheduled for August 19 and will officially nominate the party’s candidate for president, has passed the 7 August deadline for certifying presidential candidates on the Ohio ballot.
“I am left to conclude 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,” wrote the legal counsel for Ohio secretary of state Paul Disantis in the letter, according to ABC News. The Ohio Democratic Party has stated that they got the letter and are currently analyzing it. The Biden campaign expressed confidence that the president will appear on the November ballot in Ohio.
The Ohio General Assembly might approve an exemption waiver before May 9, or the convention would have to be moved earlier, which is unlikely due to logistics and scheduling concerns.
In 2020, the Republican and Democratic parties held their conventions beyond Ohio’s deadline, and state lawmakers decreased the time required to be named on the ballot from 90 to 60 days before the election.