(TheRedWire.com) – On Tuesday, Frank LaRose, Ohio’s Secretary of State, warned President Joe Biden may not appear on the ballot on Election Day.
Following weeks of warning from LaRose’s office and state legislature, the Ohio Democratic Party may miss the state’s deadline to file Biden as a candidate.
According to LaRose, a Republican, the Democratic Party hasn’t provided a solution that abides by existing law.
The issue that could mean Biden isn’t on the ballot in November is that in Ohio, parties must certify their presidential candidates 90 days before Election Day.
However, the Democratic Party won’t be able to certify Biden until after its national convention in Wisconsin on August 19, which is 75 days before the election.
In a statement on Tuesday, LaRose acknowledged that it is in voters’ “best interest” to have a choice on election day but explained he is “duty-bound” to follow Ohio’s law as the state’s “chief elections officer.”
He declared that as of Tuesday, Biden was unlikely to appear on Ohio’s ballot, which he said wasn’t his choice but stemmed from the party’s conflict with the state’s law that they did not offer a “legally acceptable remedy.”
LaRose concluded that he had again sent a letter to Ohio Democrats to inquire about “a solution that upholds the law” and trusted they would “act quickly” when replying.
Previously, Ohio Democrats argued that the state could accept “provisional certification” for the President’s reelection candidacy, but LaRose says Ohio law didn’t allow that.
LaRose noted that either Ohio’s state legislature needed to change the law to accommodate Biden’s certification or the Democratic Party would need to change its plans.
However, it seems the state law won’t be changing, given Ohio’s Republican Speaker, Jason Stephens, said there wasn’t a “will to do that” from the state’s legislature.
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