President Joe Biden is not currently on the Ohio ballot for this November's election, and state lawmakers say they will not fix the issue.
In Ohio, all nominees for president and vice president must be certified 90 days before the election.
However, with the Democratic National Convention scheduled for August 22 and the election on November 5, there will only be 75 days between certification and the election.
A similar law existed in Alabama, but the state legislature was able to come to an agreement and fix the issue.
On Tuesday, Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens told the press that the Republican-majority legislature is not motivated to fix the law and guarantee the president's ballot access.
“There’s just not the will to do that from the legislature,” Stephens said.
“It’s a hyper-political environment at this at this time of year. And there are some Republicans who just didn’t want to vote on it. And there were some who [did want to]. I think there are other alternatives to it, so why create a stir that’s not necessary.”
The top-ranked Democrat in the Ohio House, Minority Leader Allison Russo, has agreed with Stephens that Biden has other pathways to get on the ballot.
“I’ve always said Biden will be on the ballot. There are multiple pathways to doing that the legislative fix is not the only a path. In fact, I felt pretty sure that that was going to be the least likely path,” Russo told reporters on Tuesday, according to a report from The Plain Dealer Cleveland.
Biden campaign spokesperson Charles Lutvak has also stated that the president will appear on ballots in all 50 states.
“Election after election, states across the country have acted in line with the bipartisan consensus and taken the necessary steps to ensure the presidential nominees from both parties will be on the ballot,” Lutvak said. “And this election is no different — Alabama, with full Republican support, and Washington State are already taking action to ensure that voters can exercise their right to vote for the candidate of their choice in November.”
Despite the confidence of Democrats and the Biden campaign, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a Republican, has warned that ballot access is not guaranteed. 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… pic.twitter.com/Y5AkZBoow2
— Frank LaRose (@FrankLaRose) May 21, 2024
In a letter on Tuesday, LaRose stated, "Unless your party plans to comply with the statutory deadline, I am duty-bound to instruct boards of elections to begin preparing ballots that do not include the Democratic Party's nominee for president and vice president of the United States."
