In an effort to ensure President Joe Biden's name appears on Ohio's general election ballot, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) has announced a "virtual roll call" to nominate him ahead of the party's August convention. This decision comes as Ohio's Republican-controlled legislature opened a special session to address the issue.

The traditional process of nominating candidates for president and vice president at the Democratic convention clashes with Ohio's August 7 deadline for certifying candidates. To avoid any potential complications arising from this conflict, the DNC and Biden campaign have taken matters into their own hands, planning a virtual nomination process.

Facing opposition from Ohio GOP lawmakers, who hold supermajorities in the state House and Senate, the Democrats were hesitant to proceed without potential "poison pill" campaign finance legislation being voted on. DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison asserted that the Democrats will take responsibility for ensuring Biden's presence on the ballot, stating, "Through a virtual roll call, we will ensure that Republicans can't chip away at our democracy through incompetence or partisan tricks and that Ohioans can exercise their right to vote for the presidential candidate of their choice."

The DNC's rules and bylaws committee will convene on June 4 to vote on a resolution that permits the virtual roll call. Subsequently, DNC members will have an opportunity to vote on the resolution in the weeks that follow. Once adopted, the virtual nomination process can move forward, akin to the virtual convention held in 2020 amidst the pandemic.

Up until this point, the Biden campaign and DNC had resisted the idea of a virtual roll call. However, due to Ohio's certification deadlines occurring before both parties' nominating conventions, a resolution was necessary. In past instances, both parties were able to resolve this issue smoothly and without controversy.

The need for a special session arose when Republican Governor Mike DeWine requested lawmakers to address the Biden ballot issue while also introducing a measure to ban foreign money in state ballot issue campaigns. Although the latter measure had been attached to a previous state Senate version of the Biden-related bill, it had not been voted on by the state House. This triggered a rush to find a solution, ultimately leading to DeWine's call for a special session.

Liz Walters, the Ohio Democratic Party chair, expressed her dismay at the actions of Republican politicians, accusing them of playing politics with democracy. She stated, "Once again, Republican politicians at the statehouse are playing politics with our democracy by trying to prevent Ohio voters from choosing who they want to be president, but Democrats will not trade Ohioans' ability to hold their government accountable for presidential ballot access."

During a press conference, Nickie Antonio, the Democratic leader in the Ohio Senate, announced the change in strategy, revealing that the Biden campaign would issue a statement assuring Ohioans that Joe Biden will indeed be on the ballot. The statement emphasizes that they are seeking an alternative solution that does not involve the Ohio Legislature.

As the DNC moves forward with plans for a virtual roll call, the outcome of their resolution and subsequent voting process will determine the course of action that will secure President Joe Biden's name on Ohio's general election ballot.