Biden Currently Does Not Qualify for Ohio Ballot

Whoever scheduled the Democrat National Convention should be fired.

The date of the convention, which will certify Joe Biden as the Democrat nominee, falls after the deadline for certification in Ohio.

So, with the Ohio legislature now in recess, Biden could be left off the ballot.

Sorry, Joe

This has happened numerous times before, believe it or not.

In fact, Republicans have scheduled their convention beyond the deadline for states in the past.

This actually happened to Donald Trump, but the state passed legislation to shift the deadline to accommodate him.

Ohio had been expected to follow suit this time, but the House broke before bringing the legislation that had already passed through the state Senate to change the deadline.

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose wanted the legislature to get done, but he is also bound by the state’s laws, explaining, "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.

"As it stands today, the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee will not be on the Ohio ballot. That is not my choice. It’s due to a conflict in the law created by the party, and the party has so far offered no legally acceptable remedy.

"The Ohio House speaker said today there won’t be a legislative solution, so I’ve sent a letter to Ohio Democrats' chair seeking (again) a solution that upholds the law and respects the voters. I trust they’ll act quickly.”

There are basically three options now: the governor could step in and call a special session, Democrats could change their convention date to get inside that 90-day window, or Democrats could sue.

My guess is that the third option will be pursued and Biden will eventually wind up on the ballot.

I know there are plenty of people who would like to see Biden kept off the ballot in revenge for Trump’s indictments, but that is just not the way to go here.

Biden lost Ohio in 2020 and he is trailing Trump by 10 points now, but that is beside the point.

Accommodations have been made in the past, and they should be made this time or Republicans risk giving Democrats a reason to again call Trump an illegitimate president if he wins this election.

Biden needs to be on that ballot in this election simply due to the nature of the rhetoric that comes with a Trump candidacy.

This, of course, does not even take into account that the GOP has been crying about election interference since the Trump indictments were announced.

And again, I get that the Dems are complete idiots for not realizing their convention was beyond this deadline, but there is a precedent here, and that should be followed.