WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden will be formally nominated as the Democratic presidential nominee through a virtual roll call ahead of the party’s official convention in Chicago in August — a move that will allow Biden to appear on the November ballot in Ohio and also reduce opportunities for disruptions by the protesters. .
The Democratic National Convention, where the president would be formally nominated, takes place after Ohio’s August 7 voting deadline. The party convention is scheduled for August 19th and 22nd.
Ohio lawmakers have changed the deadline in the past for candidates from both parties, though they have not yet done so for Biden this year and were called into a rare special session by Gov. Mike DeWine to address the issue.
The virtual proceedings will allow Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to gain formal party approval and will be very similar to the process used in 2020, when the convention went virtual because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The move also reduces the chances of an unforeseen moment during the party’s highly produced convention in Chicago that could embarrass Biden – who has faced displeasure from some activist members of his party over his support for Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza – on live air. On TV.
The Democratic National Committee did not say Tuesday when the virtual roll call vote will take place, but it is expected that in the weeks following the committee’s rules and bylaws vote, changes to the roll call process will be proposed. The committee vote is scheduled for June 4.
“Joe Biden will be on the ballot in Ohio and all 50 states, and Ohio Republicans agree. But when it came time to act, they failed to act every time, so Democrats will land this plane on their own,” Jaime Harrison, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said in a statement. “Through a virtual call, we will ensure that Republicans cannot destroy our democracy through incompetence or partisan trickery and that Ohioans can exercise their right to vote for the presidential candidate of their choice.”
Meanwhile, Ohio lawmakers met Tuesday for the special session.
Negotiations between the House and Senate on a solution to Biden’s election conundrum began on Friday. State Rep. Bill Seitz told reporters during a conference call that he and state Sen. Rob McColley, both Republicans, are leading the negotiations, with no resolution announced as of Tuesday.
Since Ohio changed the certification deadline from 60 to 90 days before the general election, state lawmakers have had to adjust the requirement twice, in 2012 and 2020, to accommodate candidates from both leading parties. Each change was only temporary.
And the ability for voters to speak directly through the ballot initiative process on issues like abortion has made it more difficult to reach a solution in both chambers, where the Republican Party has lopsided majorities.
The Senate sent its version of the election correction to the House after attaching a ban on donations from foreign nationals to election campaigns in Ohio, stopping it.
DeWine urged lawmakers to pass the agreed-upon measure during the special session, but Democrats balked, saying the proposal goes beyond a ban on foreign nationals to add requirements designed to make it more difficult to hold future election campaigns in the state.
This came after Ohio voters overwhelmingly approved three ballot measures last year, including a constitutional amendment protecting access to abortion, which Republicans opposed, and an initiated statute legalizing marijuana for adult use.
A “clean” House bill containing only the Ohio voting deadline adjustment could also be considered.
Due to differing interpretations of the proclamation DeWine issued Thursday, the Ohio Senate has scheduled a single day of activities for Tuesday, while the Ohio House plans to begin with two days of committee hearings before voting on Thursday. .
A Senate spokesman said it was possible the upper chamber could meet on Tuesday and then go into recess to await the lower house.
___
Shipkowski reported from Toms River, New Jersey.
