President Biden could face issues getting on the Ohio ballot for the general election over a scheduling conflict related to the timing of the Democratic National Convention.
The Ohio secretary of state’s office sent a letter to Ohio Democratic Chair Liz Walters on Friday asking for clarification of an “apparent conflict” in the state’s law regarding the deadline by which the party’s presidential nominee must be certified to Ohio’s secretary of state’s office and Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) nominating process.
The deadline to certify a party’s White House candidate in the state is Aug. 7, almost two weeks before the Democratic National Convention in Chicago slated for Aug. 19, possibly jeopardizing Biden’s ability to be on the ballot in the Buckeye State.
In the letter, obtained by The Hill, legal counsel Paul Disantis offered two solutions. “Therefore, pending further clarification, 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,” Disantis said in the letter, asking for a swift response on the matter to ensure compliance with Ohio’s law.
State Sen. Nickie Antonio, the state Senate minority leader, and state Rep. Allison Russo, Ohio’s House minority leader, were copied on the letter.
The Democratic Party usually appears on the ballot in all 50 states.
Earlier in the primary, Biden was not on the ballot in New Hampshire since the state’s primary contest was in conjunction with the DNC schedule that slated South Carolina to host the first primary. Despite not being on the ballot, Biden won in the New Hampshire primary as a write-in candidate.
Former President Trump has recently carried Ohio, winning it in both 2016 and 2020. ABC News first obtained and reported on the letter.