Here’s How The Democratic National Convention Is Going To Work

We now know how Vice President Kamala Harris is going to become the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee. 

Harris is already the presumptive nominee after she swept up support from a majority of the Democratic National Convention delegates within days of President Joe Biden’s decision to drop his own re-election bid. However, thanks to the unusual nature of her rise to the top of the ticket and some quirks related to ballot access, there were some questions about her next step in the process. The convention rules committee unveiled their plans on Wednesday and they include a key rule change that has implications for Harris’ selection of a running mate. 

Multiple DNC delegates provided TPM with a copy of a memo outlining the process that was sent out by convention secretary Jason Rae on Wednesday night. It details the schedule for a virtual roll call vote where the party will nominate their presidential candidate ahead of the in-person convention, which will be held in Chicago starting Aug. 19. According to the memo, that vote could begin as early as Aug. 1. 

Presidential nominees are typically selected via an in-person roll call vote at the convention. The DNC previously stated the virtual roll call would be necessary this year due to ballot access deadlines in multiple states. That process, which received renewed attention after Biden’s stunning exit from the race and endorsement of Harris, will mean the in-person convention only features what the memo described as “celebratory and ceremonial votes to recognize and affirm the presidential and vice presidential nominees of the Democratic Party.” 

According to Rae’s memo, candidates attempting to pursue the nomination must submit a statement of intent by July 27 at 6:00 PM ET. Harris has enough support already locked in from delegates that there is almost no chance a challenge could succeed. So far, no one other than longshot candidate and “spiritually progressive” author Marianne Williamson has shown any signs of taking her on. After declaring their intent to pursue the nomination, candidates will need to obtain signatures from 300 delegates with “no more than 50 from a single state” by July 30 at 6:00 PM ET. 

While there is almost no way a challenger could successfully take the nomination from Harris, if anyone goes for it and manages to obtain the signatures, it will have implications for the schedule. Rae’s memo noted, “If only one candidate for nomination demonstrates they have met the above qualifications, electronic voting by the delegates may begin as soon as August 1.” If Harris has a challenger, the rules committee approved a five day period for a brief contest. 

“[Democratic National Committee Convention] Chair and the [Democratic National Committee] Chair can allow a period no longer than five days in between the close of nominations for President (July 30) and the beginning of voting for candidates to make their case to delegates and the public,” the memo said.

According to CBS News, which has reported on the process, Democratic Convention Chair Minyon Moore has said she would hold back the virtual roll call vote until Aug. 3 if Harris has a qualified challenger. Moore and the DNC did not respond to requests for comment on this story. 

Even though Harris has already effectively locked down the nomination, these details and the precise scheduling are important because they have an effect on her running mate selection. The permanent Democratic National Convention rules specify that the vice presidential nominee is typically affirmed by “a confirmatory and ceremonial vote … which may occur by voice vote” at the in-person convention. If the plan for a virtual roll call vote included having the delegates affirm the vice presidential nominee, it would have meant that Harris had to conclude her veepstakes process in time to declare her running mate’s intent to pursue the nomination alongside her own. 

Instead of having the delegates affirm the vice presidential nominee along with the presidential nomination, the DNC memo notes that this year’s rules will allow Moore to officially confirm the running mate of the nominee’s choosing. 

“Once a Presidential nominee is selected, the nominee may place a Vice Presidential candidate into nomination,” the memo said. “The Convention Chair may then declare that candidate to be the Vice Presidential nominee of the Democratic Party.”

That rule change means that Harris will have until Aug. 7 to choose her running mate. Multiple sources have told TPM that she is currently engaged in a vetting process and, as of yesterday, one source close to Harris described the top candidates as North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro. 

With the party swiftly coalescing behind Harris, the virtual roll call plans and rule changes have not proved controversial. However, according to one delegate who spoke to TPM and requested anonymity to discuss internal party business, the new process has left some of them wondering what to do. Multiple sources told TPM the DNC was reaching out to delegates on Thursday to check in and see if they had questions about the plan.

“I have heard no grumbling about the process,” a delegate told TPM. “I’ve heard some confusion, but no grumbling.” 

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