WASHINGTON – The Democratic Party has just weeks before its delegates are scheduled to vote for a presidential candidate during a virtual roll call in early August, a process that got much more complex Sunday when President Joe Biden withdrew as the presumptive nominee.
The timeline, which was set in motion months ago, provides a small window for Democratic delegates throughout the 50 states to unify around any one candidate, an uphill battle, even with Biden endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris.
Delegates’ votes for the presidential nominee were supposed to reflect the will of voters in their home states, a hallmark of the Democratic primary process that is no longer possible.
Party leaders have insisted for weeks that Democrats must formally nominate their presidential candidate ahead of the Democratic National Convention in late August to avoid any potential issue getting their candidate’s name on the Ohio ballot.
DNC Chair Jaime Harrison released a written statement on Sunday after Biden announced he would step aside as the presumptive nominee following weeks of pressure from members of Congress and party loyalists concerned about the president’s cognitive abilities.
Harrison wrote that in “the coming days, the Party will undertake a transparent and orderly process to move forward as a united Democratic Party with a candidate who can defeat Donald Trump in November.”
“This process will be governed by established rules and procedures of the Party,” Harrison added. “Our delegates are prepared to take seriously their responsibility in swiftly delivering a candidate to the American people.”
Harrison’s statement did not mention Harris or a specific date for when the Democratic Party would formally nominate a presidential candidate.
Harris wrote in a statement of her own that it is her “intention is to earn and win this nomination.”
“Over the past year, I have traveled across the country, talking with Americans about the clear choice in this momentous election,” Harris wrote. “And that is what I will continue to do in the days and weeks ahead.”
“I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party – and unite our nation – to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda.”
Co-Chairs of the Democratic National Convention Rules Committee Bishop Leah D. Daughtry and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz released a letter on Wednesday pledging the virtual roll call process would not be “rushed.”
The letter, obtained by States Newsroom, notes the various deadlines and requirements that states have for putting a presidential candidate’s name on the November ballot.
“Ballot access paperwork must be filed in the State of Washington on August 20, the second day of the in-person Convention. Deadlines in Montana and Oklahoma follow the next day, with California on August 22 and many states, including Virginia, on August 23,” Daughtry and Walz wrote.
“These filings involve notarized signatures from the candidates and party officials, and often must be filed in hard copy,” the two added. “We cannot and should not allow these timing complications to jeopardize whether the Democratic ticket appears on the ballot in must-win states.”
A public meeting about how the process will likely play out took place this weekend, with at least one more meeting expected this week, though likely with many more questions than before Biden withdrew.
Before the DNC can set the date for the virtual roll call, its Rules Committee needs to approve the rules for the convention, which will contain the format for the roll call vote. After that takes place, the DNC Chair and the DNCC Chair will announce the exact day of the roll call.
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