Governor calls session to get Biden on Ohio ballot
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine called for a special session of the Legislature to get President Joe Biden on the November ballot.
The special session will begin Tuesday. During an unexpected news conference Thursday, DeWine called on lawmakers to pass legislation to get Biden on the ballot and to prohibit campaign spending by foreign citizens on ballot issues.
Keeping Biden off the ballot is a state law that says Ohio officials must certify the ballot 90 days before an election, which this year is Aug. 7. Biden won’t be nominated until the Democratic National Convention, which is Aug. 19-22 in Chicago.
The Ohio House and Senate had separate proposals to fix the deadline issue, but neither advanced. The Senate passed a bill that would put Biden on the ballot and outlaw foreign spending on state ballot issues. The House did not take up that bill.
“The Senate has passed several bills that would remedy this situation, however the House of Representatives has failed to do this,” DeWine said.
DeWine called the situation “unacceptable, “ridiculous” and “absurd.”
Ohio House leaders said Tuesday there probably would not be a legislative solution to get Biden on the ballot and the issue was likely headed to the courts or up to the Democratic Party to find a solution.
DeWine said it should not be up to the courts to solve Ohio’s problems.
“I’ve waited, I’ve been patient and my patience has run out,” he said. “And the people of the state of Ohio – their patience should have run out by now.”
Democrats previously referred to the Senate’s bill as a “sore loser” bill and a “poison pill.” When asked if he thinks the legislation to put Biden on the ballot should be the only issue on the bill, DeWine said he didn’t see why the foreign spending ban would be controversial.
“I think we should not have foreign nationals interfering and spending money in Ohio,” he said
It’s already illegal for foreign citizens to give money to candidates in Ohio.
John Fortney, spokesman for the Senate Republicans, called on House Speaker Jason Stephens and House Minority Leader Allison Russo to back the bill.
“We agree with the Governor. It is time to protect Ohio’s elections by outlawing foreign campaign contributions, while at the same time fixing the Democratic Party’s error that kept Joe Biden off the November ballot,” he said in a statement. “We encourage the Speaker and Minority Leader to allow a vote on House Bill 114 which does both.”
Speaker Stephens signaled Thursday night that a compromise could be in the works on foreign campaign money.
“We have language that has input from campaign finance experts and important interested parties to deal with the issue,” he said in a statement. “This is language that squarely and directly bans foreign influence in Ohio’s issue campaigns, while not also inadvertently limiting the rights of citizens to have their voices heard.”
The Ohio Democratic Party released a statement in response to the governor’s announcement, criticizing Republicans for “politicizing the process.”