DNC plans to nominate Biden and Harris virtually before convention

The Democratic Party plans to nominate President Biden and Vice President Harris virtually before its scheduled convention in late August to meet an Aug. 7 ballot certification deadline in Ohio, CBS News has learned. 

The move means the most dramatic and obvious reason for Democrats to hold their quadrennial meetings will once again be held over Zoom instead of in person, even though the convention is poised to continue as scheduled.

Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine has recalled state legislators for a special session this week to try to change state ballot requirements. Talks between Democrats and Republicans before the regularly scheduled session ended in Columbus failed to reach a deal.

"Ohio is running out of time to get Joe Biden, the sitting president of the United States, on the ballot this fall," DeWine said last week. "Failing to do so is simply unacceptable. This is ridiculous. This is (an) absurd situation."

The Democrats are scheduled to hold their convention Aug. 19-22, meaning the president's formal nomination would miss the current Ohio deadline.

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To avoid any confusion and to ensure access to the Ohio ballot, DNC officials say the party's rules and bylaws subcommittee plans to vote next Tuesday to recommend to the full body that the president and vice president be nominated virtually. Officials noted this is similar to what occurred in 2020, when Mr. Biden and Harris had to be nominated virtually after the pandemic severely curtailed the meetings of the party's quadrennial convention.

"Joe Biden will be on the ballot in Ohio and all 50 states, and Ohio Republicans agree. But when the time has come for action, they have failed to act every time, so Democrats will land this plane on our own," DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison said in a statement. "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."

A DNC official said that despite the virutal nomination, the Chicago convention "will continue to serve as an important convening event for Democrats across the country." 

Ed O'Keefe

Ed O'Keefe is CBS News senior White House and political correspondent. He previously worked for The Washington Post covering presidential campaigns, Congress and federal agencies. His primary focus is on President Biden, Vice President Harris and political issues across the country.

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