President Joe Biden’s candidacy is on the line in Ohio after Secretary of State Frank LaRose issued a warning that the commander-in-chief is on track to miss the state's deadline for filing as a candidate.
According to current Ohio law, state officials must certify the ballot on August 7.– 90 days before the election. However, Biden won't be nominated until the Democratic National Convention on August 19.
LaRose said the Democratic Party has not yet offered a solution to the issue that coincides with the state's law.
“I write to inform you that my office still has not received communication on behalf of the Ohio Democratic Party or the Democratic National Committee that clarifies the party’s intent to comply with Ohio’s ballot access deadline,” LaRose wrote in a letter addressed to Liz Walters, the Chairwoman of the Ohio Democratic Party.
LaRose insisted that it is not his choice to exclude Biden from the Ohio ballot, but he said he must adhere to the law. He blamed the issue on a conflict created by the Democratic Party, which has "No legally acceptable remedy.”
"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," he continued.
House Minority Leader Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) said there has always been dysfunction and that she was skeptical from the beginning that there would be a legislative fix to the impending issue.
“And I think we've seen that folks have not been able to put aside partisanship and hyper-partisanship and infighting," she said.
Some Democrats argued that the state could adopt a "provisional certification,” but LaRose declared he would not make any exceptions.
However, Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH) argued that Biden will be on the November ballot, saying that if the legislature doesn’t take action, it will be "Done by the court."
Biden campaign spokesperson Charles Lutvak is confident that the president’s name will appear on the Ohio ballot.
“Election after election, states across the country have acted in line with the bipartisan consensus and taken the necessary steps to ensure the presidential nominees from both parties will be on the ballot," Lutvak said. "And this election is no different — Alabama, with full Republican support, and Washington state are already taking action to ensure that voters can exercise their right to vote for the candidate of their choice in November.”
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