The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is planning to virtually nominate President Joe Biden as the party’s presidential nominee ahead of their convention in August.
DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison issued a statement on Tuesday in which he explained that the Democrat Party would be taking matters into their own hands and holding a “virtual roll,” in order to ensure that Biden appears on the ballot in all 50 states, according to the Hill.
Under Ohio law, political parties are required to certify their presidential and vice presidential nominees at least 90 days before an election. However, the Democrat Party’s convention is scheduled to occur between August 19-22, roughly 75 days before the November election.
“Joe Biden will be on the ballot in Ohio and all 50 states, and Ohio Republicans agree,” 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.”
Harrison continued to explain that the Democrat Party would nominate Biden through a “virtual roll call” in order to “ensure that Republicans can’t chip away at our democracy through incompetence or partisan tricks.”
Lawmakers in Ohio gathered for a special session on Tuesday in order to discuss Biden appearing on the ballot, days after Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) called for the special session.
Ohio Senate Republicans had passed a bill that would ensure Biden appeared on the ballot, while also preventing “foreign contributions to ballot issue campaigns,” according to CBS News.
The Hill added:
The state House had worked on a more permanent solution that would change the certification deadline, but ultimately neither of those bills was officially voted on in the lower chamber.
Liz Walters, the chairwoman of the Ohio Democratic Party criticized Republicans, saying they had “played politics with our democracy.”
News of the Democrat Party’s decision to virtually nominate Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris comes after several reports have indicated the Democrats have been floating the idea of holding a virtual convention in an attempt to avoid pro-Palestinian protests over the Biden administration’s handling of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
