Gov. DeWine tells lawmakers to get President Biden on Ohio ballot. Calls situation 'absurd'

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine called for a special session of the Legislature to get President Joe Biden on the November ballot.

The special session will begin Tuesday, May 28. During an unexpected press conference on Thursday, DeWine called on lawmakers to pass legislation to get Biden on the ballot and to prohibit campaign spending by foreign citizens on ballot issues. DeWine ordered the special session under Article III, Section 8 of the Ohio Constitution.

The issue keeping Biden off the ballot is because the current law says Ohio officials must certify the November ballot on Aug. 7, 90 days before the election, but Biden won't be nominated until the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 19 in Chicago.

The Ohio House and Senate each had separate proposals to fix the deadline issue but neither advanced when the legislature was in session on May 8. The Senate passed a bill that would put Biden on the ballot and outlaw foreign spending on state ballot issues. The House did not take up that bill.

"The Senate has passed several bills that would remedy this situation, however the House of Representatives has failed to do this," DeWine said.

DeWine called the situation "unacceptable, "ridiculous" and "absurd."

Ohio House leaders said Tuesday there probably would not be a legislative solution to get Biden on the ballot and the issue was likely headed to the courts or up to the Democratic Party to find a solution.

DeWine said it should not be up to the courts to solve Ohio's problems.

“I've waited, I've been patient and my patience has run out,” he said. “And the people of the state of Ohio – their patience should have run out by now.”

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

Democrats previously referred to the Senate's bill as a "sore loser" bill and a "poison pill."

When asked if he thinks the legislation to put Biden on the ballot ought to be a clean bill, DeWine said he didn't see why the foreign spending ban would be controversial.

"I think we should not have foreign nationals interfering and spending money in Ohio," he said

It's already illegal for foreign citizens to give money to candidates in Ohio.

House Minority Leader Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington, said she believes the foreign spending bill is a distraction and the Legislature should focus on how dark money influences candidate campaigns.

John Fortney, spokesman for the Senate Republicans, called on House Speaker Jason Stephens and Russo to back the bill.

“We agree with the Governor. It is time to protect Ohio’s elections by outlawing foreign campaign contributions, while at the same time fixing the Democratic Party’s error that kept Joe Biden off the November ballot," he said in a statement. "We encourage the Speaker and Minority Leader to allow a vote on House Bill 114 which does both.”

Speaker Stephens signaled Thursday night that a compromise could be in the works on the issue over foreign campaign money.

"We have language that has input from campaign finance experts and important interested parties to deal with the issue," he said in a statement. "This is language that squarely and directly bans foreign influence in Ohio’s issue campaigns, while not also inadvertently limiting the rights of citizens to have their voices heard."

The Ohio Democratic Party released a statement in response to the governor’s announcement, criticizing Republicans for “politicizing the process.”

“Republican politicians who hold supermajorites in both chambers at the statehouse must put politics aside and pass a clean bill to put Joe Biden on the ballot. Despite Republicans' political gamesmanship, we're confident Joe Biden will be on the Ohio ballot,” the party said in the statement.

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose said he supports DeWine's move.

"I’ve said for months now that this problem created by the Democratic Party can be fixed through legislative action, as the General Assembly has done twice before. I’m glad the governor agrees, and I applaud his decisive leadership in calling a special session to resolve this issue for the voters of our state," LaRose posted on X late Thursday.

DeWine special session order by Anthony Shoemaker on Scribd

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Mike DeWine calls for lawmakers to get Joe Biden on Ohio Ballot