Current Ohio law requires all ballot-qualified parties to certify the names of their presidential and vice-presidential nominees no later than August 8. The Democratic and Republican Parties will not hold their national conventions until several weeks after that date. HB 509 had been expected to pass the Senate on May 24. It says those two parties (but no others) may have until September 7 to make the certifications. The bill has an urgency clause and only pertains to the 2012 election.
For some reason, on May 24, the Ohio Senate decided not to vote on this bill that day. The Senate won’t be in session again until June 5. Assuming the bill passes the Senate on June 5, then it must pass the House. The original bill that already passed the House did not have the election law amendment, so the House needs to re-approve the entire bill after it passes the Senate. The original bill is not an election law bill and concerns venereal disease and other unrelated subjects.
What happens if this doesn’t pass? Could the Dems and Reps certify their all-but-certain nominees on August 7 or do they have to wait until after the convention?
The party that thinks they will lose the presidential election in Ohio could keep stalling the bill to make sure that no major candidates are on the ballot.
If this bill doesn’t pass, Ohio Secretary of State would probably put them on anyway, even if they certified late. Major parties in this country always get excused when they miss a deadline pertaining to a presidential general election. This has happened in the past in Florida (2004), Indiana (1988), Iowa (1968), Kansas (not sure of the year), and Texas (2008).
# 3 Gee – what part of the political system is NOT L-A-W-L-E-S-S ???
i.e. Oaths to defend mere Constitutions and mere laws being meaningless to the top robot party hacks — in ANY sort of crisis/panic event.
See the rot in the late Roman Republic 120 B.C to 27 B.C.
Richard, don’t most secretarty of State’s have leeway in this matter, since the deadline to get ballots printed and sent is much later then those conventions. And if they did not follow the law could there be lawsuits by other parties or citizens?
Seems like a huge equanimity gap, no other parties given consideration is obviously a huge discrimination factor?
“It says those two parties (but no others) may have until September 7 to make the certifications.”