A Republican Governor called a special session to the Ohio State Legislature on Thursday, saving Biden from the prospect of an election in November with no Democratic candidate.
Ohio’s legislature has set a cut-off date for November ballot candidates of 7 August. The Democrats, aware of this, chose to hold their convention on 22 August.
Naturally, whenever the GOP can “stack up and turn around” the Democrats, so to say, one of the reasonable Republicans will rush to the rescue.
However, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine stated that the legislature must fix the problem.
He said on Tuesday, “I am confident that this will be accomplished. Nobody should be worried, they will be able vote for either the current president or former president. This is not a situation in which the name of the president is not on a ballot. It’s either the court or the legislature that will do it.
DeWine called for a special session when neither the Ohio House of Representatives nor Senate appeared to be inclined to return to sessions.
Gov. Mike DeWine took the unusual step of calling for a special session of the legislature, effectively summoning the General Assembly in order to ensure that Joe Biden is eligible to run this November.
DeWine announced at a press conference on Thursday night that he was calling a special session to be held on Tuesday, May 28. This was the first special session called by a governor in 20 years. The legislature was not scheduled to meet until June 12 otherwise.
“Ohio has a limited time to put Joe Biden on the ballot in the fall. Failure to do so simply is not acceptable. This is absurd,” DeWine stated.
Later, he added: “I’ve waited.” I’ve been patient. My patience is running out. “I think that the patience of Ohioans has also run out.”
It is even more complicated because the Republican Speaker Jason Stephens, and the Republican Senate Majority leader Matt Huffman don’t send each other Christmas cards.
House Speaker Jason Stephens – a Republican locked in a heated dispute with Senate Presiden Matt Huffman – told reporters last week that a legislative solution is dead in the air.
Stephens stated that “it’s a hyper-political environment in this time of the year.” Stephens said that some Republicans didn’t vote because they just didn’t want to. There were also some Republicans who did not want to vote. “I think that there are alternatives, so why make a fuss about something that isn’t necessary?”
The Democrats have two options if the legislature does not act, which it should.
If the legislature does not act, the national Democrats will need to find an alternative way to ensure that Biden’s name is on the ballot this November. The Democratic National Committee could potentially pursue an administrative fix that some observers have described a “mini convention” which might get around state law or it could file for a lawsuit to seek intervention from the courts.
Ohio Republicans have also said Democrats can sue for Biden to be on the ballot and described their case as being likely to succeed.
The Ohio GOP must force the Democrats to exercise at least one alternative. Last thing they should do is to pull Biden’s chestnuts from the fire.
