DNC says it will virtually nominate Biden to avoid Ohio ballot certification deadline

The Democratic National Committee announced Tuesday that it will move to conduct a virtual certification of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party nominees so they can appear on Ohio’s election ballot on Nov. 5. The party confirmed to ABC News on Tuesday.

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Biden had faced the possibility of being left off the ballot because he would not have been certified as the Democrats’ candidate before Ohio’s Aug. 7 ballot certification deadline.

Ohio requires political parties to officially confirm presidential and vice-presidential nominees to the elections chief 90 or more days before the general election. That means that Biden and Harris must be certified as the Democratic candidates by Aug. 7.

Biden and Harris were set to be certified at the Democratic National Convention which begins Aug. 19.

Ohio lawmakers have moved the deadline in the past for candidates of both parties – in 2012 and 2020.

While Biden and Harris will be certified in a virtual roll call and nomination, the party will still hold the convention and in-person events in Chicago from Aug. 19-Aug. 22.

The virtual proceedings will be very similar to the process used in 2020, when the convention went virtual because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to The Associated Press.

Ohio’s Gov. Mike DeWine, R, called the state’s Senate into a special session on Tuesday to address the ballot issue.

No date has been set for the virtual nomination, but, according to ABC News, the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee says a vote to allow a virtual rollcall a vote will be taken on Tuesday, June 4.

The resolution will be voted on by the full DNC membership within the coming weeks, according to ABC. Once the resolution is adopted, the remainder of the pre-nomination process will follow the standard order of operations.

DeWine said he still urges the legislature to remedy the ballot access concerns for the Nov. 5 election.

“While I understand the Democratic National Committee has just today proposed a work-around to help get President Biden on the Ohio ballot, it is prudent legislation be passed to get this done. As I previously said, 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. It’s the right thing to do,” DeWine said in a statement.

“For these reasons, it is important that a bill or multiple bills that accomplish these common-sense measures come to my desk right away this week. It’s the right thing to do,” DeWine added.

While Biden has enough primary delegates to win the Democratic nomination, he is not officially certified as a candidate until he is named the party’s candidate at the Democratic National Convention.

The Republicans do not face ballot access issues since their convention takes place in July, a few weeks before the Aug. 7 deadline for certification.

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