DNC plans to host 'virtual roll call' to ensure Biden on Ohio ballot

The Democratic National Committee has offered a proposal, which, if actualized, should ensure that Joe Biden appears on the ballot in Ohio this November.

For the moment, Democrats in Ohio are in a bit of a bind. As Blaze News reported last week, Ohio law requires parties to certify their nominees for president and vice president 90 days before Election Day, which means they would have to certify those candidates by August 7 this year. However, the Democratic National Convention isn't slated to nominate Biden and Kamala Harris officially until August 22.

'Through a virtual roll call, we will ensure that Republicans can’t chip away at our democracy through incompetence or partisan tricks.'

Similar deadline issues have occurred for both parties in Ohio in the past, but in those instances, state lawmakers passed temporary legislative fixes to ensure the appropriate candidates appeared on the ballot come Election Day. This year, no such legislative fixes have advanced.

So, the DNC has decided to step in, pledging to host a "virtual roll call" to nominate Biden and Harris in time for the statutory deadline of August 7. The party also blamed Republicans for supposedly preventing Ohio Democrats from formally nominating their chosen candidate in accordance with state election law.

"Joe Biden will be on the ballot in Ohio and all 50 states, and Ohio Republicans agree. But when the time has come for action, they have failed to act every time, so Democrats will land this plane on our own," said DNC Chair Jamie Harrison in a statement issued on Tuesday.

"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."

The DNC held a similar virtual roll call in 2020 because of the COVID-related government shutdowns. This year, party leaders plan to gather enough members to vote for formal certification virtually and then hold a separate in-person vote at the convention as well.

Though no virtual roll call has yet been scheduled, it is expected to occur sometime after June 4, when committee members are expected to meet and vote to amend bylaws relating to roll calls.

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a Republican, confirmed that a national roll call would satisfy state laws about nominee certification but claimed he has yet to receive any official notice about a virtual roll call from Democrat officials.

"We haven’t been contacted by the Democratic Party or its legal counsel about the revisions they reportedly intend to make to their nominating process," said a spokesperson for LaRose. "Moving up the date of their formal convention vote to meet Ohio’s ballot access deadline was certainly one option offered by our office for consideration. The other option was legislative action to temporarily adjust the certification deadline. We’re encouraged to see the party is actively pursuing both solutions, and we look forward to seeing the details."

Republican Gov. Mike DeWine expressed relief that the ballot issue will likely soon be resolved. However, he also wants state legislators to meet for a special session to find a more permanent solution to the deadline problem. "We do not want to leave something so basic as having the sitting President of the United States on the ballot to others when this can — and should — be done legislatively," he said.

He likewise wants lawmakers to address issues regarding foreign influence on state campaigns, claiming that some individuals "likely intend to put foreign money into ballot measures this fall and that groups promoting these initiatives might be relying on such support from foreign sources."

State Democrats countered that foreign donations are already illegal. "[Republicans] are using this as a cover to get at what they really want to attack and that is weakening the citizen ballot initiative process," claimed Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington).

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