Virtual Nomination for Biden Planned by Democrats Ahead of Chicago Convention

Democrats are set to nominate President Joe Biden as their candidate for the 2024 presidential election through a virtual roll call vote weeks before the Democratic convention in Chicago. This strategy aims to prevent complications that could leave Biden off the Ohio ballot and avoid potential protests from within the party.

• Virtual Nomination
  Mimicking the process used in 2020 due to COVID-19, the early virtual nomination will ensure Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are officially recognized as the Democratic nominees ahead of Ohio's August 7 ballot deadline.

• Strategic Move
  Democratic National Committee chairman Jaime Harrison criticized Ohio Republicans for not extending the ballot deadline as they have for past candidates. “Democrats will land this plane on our own,” Harrison told the Wall Street Journal, emphasizing that the virtual roll call will protect the nomination process from “partisan tricks.”

• Avoiding Protests
  The roll call nomination could help the party avoid potentially embarrassing protests at the convention regarding Biden's handling of Israel's war against Hamas. Democratic activists have pressured the administration to take a firmer stance against Israel, and officials anticipate some protests during the convention.

The law impacting the ballot deadline was passed 15 years ago on a bipartisan basis when Democrats held a majority in the Ohio state House. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose has rebutted Democratic criticisms, stating that the Democratic Party has not cooperated with Republican lawmakers to secure a legislative solution.

“Unable so far to get a legislative fix to the problem they created, Democrats have flipped the script,” LaRose wrote in the Wall Street Journal. “They used to say refusing to enforce election rules was a threat to democracy; now refusing to bend the rules is a threat.”

Additionally, groups like the Coalition to March on the DNC have sought permits to protest during the convention but have faced obstacles. The group recently withdrew a permit request in protest of actions taken against an anti-Israel protest camp at DePaul University.

This preemptive nomination tactic reflects the Democratic Party's efforts to navigate internal and external challenges while solidifying Biden's candidacy for the upcoming election.

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