Ohio governor calls special session to get Biden on ballot

[May 24, 2024]  By Jasper Ward
 
(Reuters) - Ohio Governor Mike DeWine on Thursday called a special session of his state's legislature to get President Joe Biden on its ballot for the Nov. 5 presidential election.  

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine speaks during an event to tout the new Brent Spence Bridge over the Ohio River between Covington, Kentucky and Cincinnati, in Covington, Kentucky, U.S., January 4, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/ File Photo

The session, which will be held on May 28, aims to pass legislation ensuring both Biden and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump will be on Ohio's ballot in November, DeWine said in a statement.

The move by the Republican governor came as questions rose about whether Biden would appear on the state's ballot.

The state has an Aug. 7 deadline, 90 days before the election, for certification of candidacies, but Biden will not be formally nominated until the Democratic National Convention which will be held Aug. 19-22.

DeWine said the state was "running out of time" to get Biden on the ballot after Ohio's House of Representatives failed to take action on the matter.

"It is important that when Ohioans cast their vote for president of the United States, United States senator and many other offices this fall, they have the opportunity to cast a vote for either of the major party candidates for those offices," he said.

(Reporting by Jasper Ward, editing by Ross Colvin and Chris Reese)

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