Will Joe Biden be on the Ohio ballot? Top lawmakers say legislative fix is unlikely

Ohio House leaders said Tuesday there will probably not be a legislative solution to getting President Joe Biden on the November ballot in Ohio.

Current law says Ohio officials must certify the ballot on Aug. 7, 90 days before the election, but Biden won't be nominated until the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 19.

The Ohio House and Senate each had separate proposals to fix the deadline issue but neither advanced when the legislature was last in session on May 8.

Speaker Jason Stephens, R-Kitts Hill, told reporters Tuesday that the legislature has fixed the issue with convention dates in the past and he thinks it could have been fixed, but there was just not the will from the legislature this time.

"The Biden issue is – it's a hyper-political environment at this time of year. And there were some Republicans who just didn't want to vote on it, and there were some who were (willing)," Stephens said, "I think there are other alternatives to do it so why create a stir unnecessarily?"

House Minority Leader Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington, said she was always skeptical there would be a legislative fix to the problem.

"We've seen the dysfunction here in this place. And I think we've seen that folks have not been able to put aside partisanship and hyper-partisanship and infighting," she said.

Russo added that the Alabama legislature, which faced a similar problem, was able to resolve it legislatively.

Biden campaign spokesperson Charles Lutvak said Biden will be on the ballot in all 50 states.

"Election after election, states across the country have acted in line with the bipartisan consensus and taken the necessary steps to ensure the presidential nominees from both parties will be on the ballot," Lutvak said. "And this election is no different — Alabama, with full Republican support, and Washington state are already taking action to ensure that voters can exercise their right to vote for the candidate of their choice in November.”

Despite the lack of a legislative solution, both Ohio leaders said they are confident Biden will be on the ballot in November.

Russo said at this point, she believes the solution will come from within the national Democratic Party or through legal action.

USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau reporter Laura Bischoff contributed.

Erin Glynn is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Joe Biden won't likely make the Ohio ballot with a legislative fix