Democrats will hold a virtual roll call to nominate President Joe Biden to a second term before the Chicago convention, running Aug.19-22, in order to qualify for the Ohio ballot, which requires candidates to be certified by Aug. 7.
Because of an Ohio ballot access issue, President Joe Biden will be nominated in a virtual roll call before the Democratic National Convention in Chicago Aug. 19-22, a move that could scramble programming for an event in which a highlight routinely has been the prime-time roll call of the states.
The need to nominate Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris early is a result of a glitch in Ohio law requiring candidates to be certified by Aug. 7.
That timetable could have meant Biden being left off of the Ohio ballot. Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine called for a special state legislative session Tuesday to resolve the problem. However, Republican Ohio lawmakers have not been open to a fix unless there were strings attached.
As a result, on Tuesday Democrats in an abundance of caution said they will sidestep the Ohio deadline by going early — and virtual.
“Joe Biden will be on the ballot in Ohio and all 50 states, and Ohio Republicans agree,” Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison said in a statement. “But when the time has come for action, they have failed to act every time, so Democrats will land this plane on our own.
