The Democratic National Committee (DNC) announced Monday that it plans to move forward with a virtual roll call and decide on its presidential nominee by August 7th.
The DNC uses an electronic voting system in which delegates vote for nominees who meet three criteria: filing a formal declaration of candidacy with the committee, meeting party and legal qualifications to run for president, and garnering at least 300 delegates with no more than 50 from any one state.
The Democratic National Committee said that if multiple candidates reach the 300-delegate threshold, qualified candidates will have the opportunity to make their case to delegates and the public.
Chair Jaime Harrison and other Democratic National Committee officials outlined the plan but, in a conference call with reporters, made no mention of Vice President Harris, who is seeking the nomination and was endorsed by President Biden when he stepped down on Sunday.
No other Democrats have yet declared they will seek the nomination. As of Monday afternoon, 770 delegates had endorsed Harris.
Before Biden withdrew, the Democratic National Convention had planned to nominate Biden as its candidate in a virtual roll call after Aug. 1 and ahead of the convention starting Aug. 19. The original plan was to allow Biden to appear on the ballot in Ohio, which had a deadline for certifying the party’s presidential nominee after the convention, but Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) later extended that deadline.
The Democratic National Committee explained that presidential candidates do not have to nominate their running mate by August 7, but that finalists can set their own schedule.
The DNC also said it would provide delegate slates to candidates seeking the nomination before they reach the 300-delegate threshold. Officials said that if multiple candidates meet the threshold, qualified candidates would have “several days” to make their case to delegates and the public before at least one vote begins with the goal of selecting a candidate by Aug. 7.
“What I want to do is ensure that we are committed to an open and fair nomination process,” Harrison told reporters Monday.
“I want to be very clear: we are committed to victory in November. I also want to add very clearly that we will be announcing our candidate for president this coming August 7th,” he added. “We can and will proceed with this nomination swiftly and fairly.”
Harrison revealed the plan Monday night in a memo to “fellow Democrats” obtained by The Hill. The Democratic National Convention is scheduled to be held in Chicago.
