Ohio lawmakers have an opportunity to do the right thing, now that Secretary of State Frank LaRose has sought an opinion that resulted in a letter to Ohio Democratic Party Chair Liz Walters. In the letter, LaRose’s office told Walters about an “apparent conflict in Ohio law,” according to a report by ABC News.

The Democratic National Convention is set to convene Aug. 19. The deadline to certify a presidential candidate in Ohio for placement on the November ballot is Aug. 7.

“I am left to conclude that the Democratic National Committee must either move up its nominating convention or the Ohio General Assembly must act by May 9, 2024 (90 days prior to a new law’s effective date) to create an exception to this statutory requirement,” the letter states, according to ABC News.

LaRose, despite losing presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s endorsement in his own run for the Republican nomination for a U.S. Senate seat, remains vocally loyal to Trump. And certainly, he knows the political landscape in Columbus. Republicans hold the majority in both houses of the Legislature.

The Ohio Democratic Party told ABC News it is reviewing the letter. And it is reasonable to think the DNC might consider rescheduling its convention.

But all those Republicans in Columbus have an opportunity here to show they believe Trump is a strong candidate capable of beating Joe Biden without any help from them. They can beat the DNC to the punch by voting for an exception before May 9. That ensures Ohio voters have a ballot that allows them to fully participate in the presidential election and ensures Biden will have no complaints after the fact about the way the election was handled in the Buckeye State.

While one wonders whether LaRose could have discovered the “apparent conflict” a little earlier, Ohio lawmakers still have more than a month to make their move. Surely they will do so, rather than give the appearance they believe their party’s presumptive nominee would not win a fair fight.

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