WASHINGTON, May 24 Name of US President Joe Biden could be kicked off the ballot in Ohio in November's election if the Democratic Party fails to meet the region's candidate registration requirements, analysts polled said.
Ohio law requires political parties to register their candidates no later than 90 days before the presidential election. However, the Democratic National Convention, where Biden is expected to be announced as the Democratic nominee, is not scheduled to take place until August 22, 75 days before the election.
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose has already made it clear that state legislative requirements are not subject to change or repeal, and in this situation “no exceptions will be made for the current head of state.”
«The prospect of a major party's presidential candidate not being on the ballot is truly shocking, as is the reluctance of state legislative leadership to resolve the issue quickly and without controversy,» Jonathan Antin, a professor of political science at Case Western Reserve University, said in a statement. , who has experience as a judicial clerk. However, he expects that if the Ohio authorities refuse to make concessions, the Biden campaign will file a lawsuit, which will ultimately ensure the politician's coveted place among the candidates.
«It's also possible that we'll see some kind of workaround whereby the Democratic National Committee makes an impromptu endorsement of its nominee before the Aug. 7 Ohio deadline,» Antin admits.
In turn, University of Cincinnati political science professor David Niven also believes that Biden's name will get on the ballot in Republican Ohio, but this will require «incredible efforts.» As one of the possible scenarios, the expert considers the Democrats holding an early meeting at which Biden will be declared a candidate, which will allow him to avoid restrictions on participation in the elections.
«Removing the president from the ballot would simply be unbearable for Democrats. With the Republican-dominated state legislature refusing to make an exception (for Biden — ed.), Democrats will have to find a mechanism to formally nominate the incumbent before the scheduled Democratic National Convention.» «, summed up the agency's interlocutor.