Ohio governor ensures Biden's presence on fall ballot

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed a measure to make sure President Joe Biden will be on the state's ballot in November. DeWine, who is a Republican, signed the measure on Sunday along with a related bill that bans foreign nationals from contributing to state ballot campaigns. This ban will start on August 31. The ban also includes green card holders as "foreign nationals." The special session was called by DeWine because Ohio's deadline for the November ballot is on August 7, which is before Biden's formal nomination at the Democratic convention in Chicago on August 19-22. The Democratic National Committee and the Biden campaign decided to solve this issue by holding a virtual roll call vote to nominate Biden, making the need for a vote in Ohio unnecessary. Democrats in the Ohio House accused the Republican supermajorities of using the Biden situation to pass a bill that goes against direct democracy in Ohio. Last year, voters disagreed with the GOP on three ballot measures, including protecting abortion rights, making it harder to pass constitutional amendments, and legalizing recreational marijuana. DeWine signed the bill to secure Biden's spot on the ballot, ending the political back-and-forth over the deadline. The bill was passed in a special session of the state Senate before being signed by the governor. DeWine called the session to address the Biden issue and other campaign finance legislation. The Democratic National Committee plans to move forward with a virtual roll call vote despite the bill being signed. Both parties have had to deal with late conventions conflicting with early state deadlines in the past. DeWine asked the state legislature to consider these issues in the special session. The bill only temporarily fixes the certification deadline for this year, causing frustration among Democrats who wanted a more permanent solution. Republican lawmakers are open to the idea but want more time to gather input from election officials.