The DNC has decided to proceed with its plan to have a virtual roll call in advance of its convention in Chicago in August. The recently approved plan will only provide a limited window of time for candidates to face Vice President Kamala Harris.
Following President Joe Biden’s Sunday campaign suspension, the DNC rules committee convened on Wednesday afternoon to approve a framework for choosing the party’s presidential nominee.
Under the recently approved plan, contenders will only have until Thursday, Saturday, at 6 p.m. Eastern time to officially declare their candidacies and get 300 delegates—no more than 50 of whom must come from a single state—in order to present their case by Tuesday for the virtual roll call.
Given the tight deadline, the fact that Vice President Kamala Harris has more delegates than the required 1976, and her lack of visible opponents, it is almost certain that she will secure the nomination. If two or more candidates meet the requirements, voting on the nomination will probably start on August 3. Otherwise, it will probably start on August 1.
In order to win the nomination in the first round of voting during the virtual roll call, a majority of the delegates is required. If no candidate secures a majority in the first round, the top two candidates will proceed to the second round of voting.
The Democratic National Convention will still include a ceremonial roll call.
Delegates can now cast their ballots for whatever candidate they want, as Biden’s withdrawal from the campaign freed them from their prior commitment to support him. Furthermore, at least one delegate issued a warning, saying that virtual roll calls will not be the standard for party conventions going forward.
Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, who is also a co-chair of the rules committee and might be Harris’s running mate, and Bishop Leah Daughtry led the assembly. Along with DNC chairperson Jaime Harrison, Walz praised participants for their assistance “as we develop a successful convention process that brings our country and our party together.”
“Your efforts here demonstrate the strength of our democracy, as well as our much greater trust in it.” We are all putting in a lot of effort to carry out this nomination in a transparent, equitable, and effective manner, and our process reflects that faith,” Harrison added.
Harrison also refuted GOP allegations that the party “fixed” Harris’s nomination in an indirect manner. “I’m sure many of you have read the reports indicating that the majority of committed delegates have voiced support for Vice President Harris, and you may be wondering what that implies for this process,” he continued. “We are pleased that delegates are participating in this significant historical moment, and they are free to support anybody they wish. As a party, we must plan and carry out an impartial nomination process that will allow delegates to formally voice their choices through voting, ultimately producing the Democratic Party’s official nominee, who will face off in November.
The chair of the DNCC, Minyon Moore, said, “We know that this is an unprecedented scenario, but I’m certain that we can find a road forward together.”
In order to abide by Ohio’s Secretary of State’s warning that the state ballot certification deadline was August 7—ahead of the Chicago convention, when Biden would have formally accepted the nomination—the DNC chose to hold the virtual vote when Biden was still the front-runner. Later on, though, the state legislature changed the statute to extend the deadline. Party leaders brought up the virtual roll call several times at the rules committee meeting, and Democrats are still pressing for it in order to prevent any potential legal issues.
“Republicans will take advantage of this opportunity to do what they do best—file a lawsuit, attempt to keep us off the ballot or invalidate our supporters, and imply that the party’s nomination procedure was flawed in some way,” DNC council member Pat Moore stated. “There is a serious threat here. For weeks, the RNC and related dark money organizations, such as Heritage Action, have been openly threatening legal action. Just on Monday, Speaker Mike Johnson added his voice to their chorus, asserting that there would be, quote, legal obstacles and perhaps litigation about our right to vote in the state. Without a doubt, we are ready to present solid legal defenses in response to any such allegations.
