DNC will nominate Biden and Harris online before convention

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is gearing up to nominate President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party nominees via virtual proceedings before Ohio’s Aug. 7 deadline, and ahead of its in-person convention this summer in Chicago.

Ohio mandates its parties to certify presidential candidates at least 90 days before Election Day. However, the DNC won’t certify Biden until its convention, scheduled for Aug. 19 – just 75 days before the election.

This unusual step comes as Ohio Senate lawmakers gathered for a special session called by Republican Gov. Mike DeWine to address Biden’s presence on the general election ballot. The Republicans, holding majorities in both the state House and Senate, have been reluctant to pass a bill that would extend the deadline for Biden without a vote on unrelated campaign finance legislation that Democrats are against.

Moreover, the virtual nomination is expected to diminish the excitement and festivity at the DNC set to kick off on Aug. 19.

DNC Chair Jaime Harrison stated, “Joe Biden will be on the ballot in Ohio and all 50 states, and Ohio Republicans agree. But when the time has come for action, they have failed to act every time, so Democrats will land this plane on our own. Through a virtual roll call, we will ensure that Republicans can’t chip away at our democracy through incompetence or partisan tricks and that Ohioans can exercise their right to vote for the presidential candidate of their choice.”

The Ohio Democratic Party Chair, Liz Walters, criticized state Republicans for “playing politics with our democracy by trying to prevent Ohio voters from choosing who they want to be president.”

“But Democrats will not trade Ohioans’ ability to hold their government accountable for presidential ballot access,” she added. “Just like when they attempted to take away our rights and freedoms last year, Ohio Republicans have shown their blatant disregard for the rights of voters, and we won’t let them get away with another effort to hold our democracy hostage.”

In preparation for the virtual roll call, the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee is set to vote on June 4 on a resolution proposing changes to allow for virtual party proceedings. The resolution will then be voted on by the entire DNC membership in the weeks to come.

Once approved, the rest of the pre-nomination process will proceed in the typical order of operations.

Justin Levitt, a law professor at Loyola Marymount University, expressed disbelief at the situation in Ohio, stating, “It is unimaginable that a major party candidate for president would be kept off the ballot in a context like Ohio has created, without any legitimate reason, and when literally every other state has come around. So in addition to being an unprecedented distraction, this petty partisanship is bound to fail.”

“Both candidates will inevitably be on the ballot; the only real question is whether Ohio’s legislators and secretary of state will feel any shame for lighting their constituents’ tax dollars on fire in the meantime,” Levitt added.

Biden’s ballot issues in Ohio stem from the state’s requirement for parties to certify their presidential candidates at least 90 days before Election Day. The Democratic Party is withholding Biden’s certification until the national convention in Chicago, scheduled for Aug. 19, just 75 days before the election.

During the past presidential conventions amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, both the Democrats and Republicans combined virtual and in-person elements for the nomination roll calls.