Ohio’s secretary of state on Friday signaled that the Democratic National Convention may take place too late for President Joe Biden to appear on the general election ballot in the state, according to a letter obtained by NBC News.
“The Democratic National Convention is scheduled to convene on August 19, 2024, which occurs more than a week after the August 7 deadline to certify a presidential candidate to the office,” Secretary of State Frank LaRose wrote to Ohio Democratic Party Chairwoman Liz Walters.
ABC News first reported about the existence and content of this letter.
In the note, LaRose goes on to say that the oversight can be rectified in two ways: either by the Democratic Party moving up its nominating convention or by getting the Ohio state legislature to “create an exemption to this statutory requirement” by May 9, which is 90 days before a new law’s effective date.
Ohio state Rep. Allison Russo, the state House minority leader, and state Sen. Nickie Antonio, the state Senate minority leader, were also copied on LaRose’s letter.
Biden’s campaign and the Ohio Democratic Party did not immediately respond to NBC News’ requests for comment.