United States: The Democratic National Committee (DNC) started a virtual roll call on Thursday to officially nominate Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s presidential candidate for 2024.
This particular online voting process comes just days after the President Biden ended his re-election campaign and deeply supported Harris to take his place.
How the Nomination Process Works
Unlike the in-person roll call held by Republicans at their convention last month in Milwaukee, the DNC is conducting their nomination process online.
As reported in Fox News, the virtual roll call will end on Monday, two weeks before the Democratic National Convention begins on August 19 at the United Center in Chicago. Kamala Harris is the only candidate who qualified to be nominated, so there is no competition.
Biden’s Decision and Harris’s Nomination
President Biden’s performance in a debate against Trump in late June raised concerns about his ability to serve another term. This led to calls from within his party for him to step aside. Biden’s support for Harris quickly led to widespread endorsements from Democratic leaders, including governors, senators, and House members. Within 36 hours, Harris secured the nomination with the support of most of the nearly 4,700 convention delegates.
Virtual Roll Call Similar to 2020
The DNC’s decision to use a virtual roll call, similar to the one in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, helps ensure that Harris is formally nominated before the August 7 deadline for ballot access in Ohio. DNC Chair Jaime Harrison emphasized the importance of the delegates’ role in making Harris the official nominee.
Delegate Support for Harris
So far, 3,923 delegates have petitioned to nominate Harris, and no other candidate met the required 300 delegate signatures to qualify. This strong support confirms that Kamala Harris will be the Democratic candidate for this upcoming presidential election.
