If President Biden were to decide to end his re-election campaign, the Democratic Party would technically have until its convention the week of Aug. 19 to nominate a different standard-bearer. But for practical purposes, the deadline would be about two weeks earlier.
This is because Ohio requires candidates to be legally certified by Aug. 7 in order to be included on the state’s ballot. Democrats have been aware of this issue for months, and the Democratic National Committee has announced plans to conduct a virtual roll-call vote before the convention to meet the deadline.
While Ohio may not be a battleground state in November, not having a presidential candidate on the ballot could lower turnout, which could impact down-ballot Democrats like Senator Sherrod Brown.
Earlier this year, there were concerns about a similar issue in Alabama, but the state legislature passed a bill to postpone the deadline to align with the Democratic convention. Unfortunately, Ohio lawmakers did not take similar action.
If Democrats proceed with nominating Mr. Biden in the virtual roll-call vote and he later withdraws, the situation could become more complex. It is unclear whether Vice President Kamala Harris, who would be on the ballot as his running mate, could receive votes for president in such a scenario. The Ohio secretary of state’s office has not provided clarity on this matter yet.
The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, has suggested that they may challenge any substitution that occurs.
Overall, the deadline for Democrats to pick a new nominee if Biden drops out is constrained by Ohio’s ballot certification deadline, and the potential legal and logistical challenges of making a late substitution in the presidential race could complicate matters for the party. It remains to be seen how Democrats will navigate these issues leading up to the convention in August.