Today, Republican Speaker Jason Stephens said that the Ohio State legislature cannot come to a resolution to put President Joe Biden on the Ohio ballot. That means that Joe Biden is on the ballot in every state other than Ohio, despite meeting all the criteria!
This entire process started because Ohio law maintains that in order to appear on the ballot, a Presidential convention must be held at least 90 days before the election. This law has been amended twice before, to accommodate both parties, in 2012 and 2020 with no issue. There is no reason we cannot change the law to allow a democratic election to take place in Ohio. Instead, Republicans decided to use this as an opportunity to try to pass extremist legislation.
They tried to sneak language from dangerous Senate Bill 215 into this legislation, effectively holding the basis of our democracy hostage in order to pass their extreme legislation. Senate Bill 215 makes it harder for citizen groups and workers to engage in direct democracy through statewide ballot initiatives. It legalizes the harassment of Ohio citizens who want to support direct democratic actions, gives more power to politicians, and continues to tip the scale in favor of Ohio’s political elite.
The Republicans are playing dirty politics, trying to sneak bad legislation through the State House, under the guise of righting a wrong. A bill ensuring that President Joe Biden is on the ballot in Ohio and a bill that makes it harder to pass statewide ballot initiatives are unrelated and should be voted on separately.
Every Senate Democrat supports President Joe Biden. We want to see him on the ballot this November but we absolutely do not want to support bad legislation because Republicans are holding our elections hostage. That’s why we need your support. Please sign this letter asking House Speaker Stephens and Senate President Matt Huffman to consider separating these bills. Our democracy depends on it!
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