Ohio’s leading election official is urging Democrats to refrain from using his state as a rationale for their quick nomination of Vice President Kamala Harris for president during an upcoming virtual meeting next month.
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose sent a letter to DNC Chairman Jamie Harrison on Thursday, calling out party officials for misleadingly asserting that the Buckeye State’s ballot access deadline necessitates an early presidential nomination ahead of the party convention in Chicago from August 19 to 22.
“In the last week, I have observed numerous media reports and interviews where you have repeatedly invoked Ohio’s August 7 ballot access deadline as reasoning for your committee’s plan to conduct a ‘virtual nominating convention,'” LaRose wrote to Harrison. “As you are aware, the Ohio General Assembly made an exception to the ballot access deadline for the 2024 presidential election by passing legislation signed by the governor that temporarily extends it to September 1, 2024.”
The Democratic National Committee announced on Wednesday that it will conduct a virtual roll call vote for the party’s presidential and vice presidential nominees weeks prior to the convention, citing a ballot-access issue in Ohio. Harrison and other Democratic officials have asserted that the early vote is essential due to an August 7 deadline stipulated by Ohio state law.
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Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign event at Westover High School in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on July 18, 2024. (Allison Joyce/AFP via Getty Images)
“Since May, MAGA Republicans in Ohio have been undermining our democracy and have threatened to keep Democrats off the general election ballot. Just this week, after President Biden exited the race, Republicans such as Speaker Mike Johnson threatened legal action to contest the Democratic nominee’s position on the ballot, potentially disenfranchising voters,” a DNC spokesperson informed Fox News Digital.
“The Democratic Party is following an open, fair, and democratic process to select our nominee and ensure we comply with all legal requirements – not simply in Ohio – so that we can move ahead as a united Democratic Party with a candidate capable of defeating Donald Trump in November,” the spokesperson added.
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DNC chair Jaime Harrison has maintained that the party must nominate a presidential candidate before the August 7 deadline to guarantee ballot access in Ohio, contrary to the assertions made by the state elections chief. (Screenshot/NBC/Today)
According to DNC regulations, candidates have until July 27 to declare their candidacies and until July 30 to demonstrate their qualifications for nomination. Voting by delegates can commence electronically as early as August 1, assuming Harris is the only declared candidate who meets the required qualifications and delegate support threshold.
Although unlikely, if multiple candidates declare and fulfill those criteria, they will be permitted up to five days to make their case for nomination to the delegates prior to voting.
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The United Center in Chicago, where Democrats will convene for their 2024 presidential nominating convention. (Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
Harris declared that she secured the nomination within 36 hours following Biden’s departure from the race, revealing that she had garnered commitments from a majority of nearly 4,000 delegates.
“I am proud to have earned the necessary support to become our party’s nominee,” she stated in a social media update shortly after midnight early Tuesday morning.
In contrast to the claims from Democrats, LaRose argued there is nothing in Ohio state law preventing the eventual Democratic presidential candidate from appearing on the ballot, as long as a candidate is nominated by September 1.
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“As the chief elections officer of the state, I’ve confirmed with our state attorney general that Ohio law does not compel the DNC to execute a ‘virtual roll call’ before your scheduled convention dates in August,” LaRose wrote.
“I am certain that your lawyers are well aware of this fact, and I suspect that your current rhetorical positioning is part of a scheme to replace the incumbent president without a contested convention or any democratic process. This tactic is clever, albeit completely contrary to your party’s constant admonitions regarding threats to democracy. I urge you to cease utilizing Ohio to justify your actions.”
LaRose concluded his letter by assuring that as long as the Democrats nominate presidential and vice presidential candidates before September 1, they will appear on the Ohio ballot.
Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser and Brandon Gillespie contributed to this report.
