COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, speaking at the State Capitol Thursday afternoon, called for a special session of the Ohio Legislature to begin on Tuesday, May 28, to ensure both presidential candidates appear on Ohio's ballot.
Ohio's top election official warned this week that a conflict between the Democratic National Convention and the state's deadlines means the sitting president and vice president may not appear on the Ohio ballot in November's election, after the state Legislature ended its session in May without resolving a procedural issue.
DeWine said the last time something like this happened, the Ohio Legislature passed a bill to “remedy the situation” by allowing both candidates to appear on the ballot, and he said state legislative leaders have indicated they will work on a bill to provide a similar solution this election.
The governor said the Senate has passed several bills that would address the issue, but the House has failed to act on them.
“This is completely unacceptable,” he said. “The state of Ohio is running out of time to put the sitting President of the United States, Joe Biden, on the ballot this fall, and it's completely unacceptable that we can't do that. This is an absurd, absurd situation.”
The governor said another goal of the special session is to pass a bill banning foreigners from spending campaign funds.
“As Ohioans vote this fall for President of the United States, U.S. Senator and many other offices, it is important that they have the opportunity to vote for either of the major party candidates for these offices. It is important that both Joe Biden and Donald Trump are on the ballot when they vote for president.”
He said the problem certainly needs a long-term solution, but for now he's content with a short-term solution, which he said is easy to implement.
This is an unusual situation, DeWine said. Unless the state Legislature passes a bill to fix it, the current president's name will not appear on the ballot unless the courts intervene, DeWine said.
The Governor said he recognises we are “in a bind” and that if the situation does not change after next Wednesday, we will be in serious trouble.
“I've been waiting. I've been patient, but my patience has worn off,” said Governor DeWine. “And I know the patience of Ohioans has worn off too.”
Spectrum News digital journalist Joseph Konig contributed to this report.
