DNC moves forward with process to determine presidential nominee by August 7 following Biden dropout
“While this situation is unprecedented, the process we are prepared to undertake is not,” Democratic National Convention Chair Minyon Moore said. “We have important deadlines to meet. We will make sure the process is fair, because, as it stands, no candidate has secured a majority of the delegates to the convention.”
Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison also pledged to the party being “committed to an open and fair nominating process” that “reflects the dedication to democracy our party stands for.”
According to DNC officials and a document obtained by CNN, candidates will need to declare their interest in becoming the Democratic Party’s nominee for president by filing a formal declaration of candidacy, meeting party and legal qualifications to be president, and gathering at least 300 delegate signatures, with no more than 50 from a single state.
The window of time for candidates to declare their interest will be short, one DNC official said, and would end by this week.
Under the proposal, the DNC will share with delegates a candidate directory, which will include names and contact information for candidates to allow delegates to opt into information from campaigns.
However, while the DNC intends to have a Democratic nominee chosen by August 7, exactly when virtual voting would begin has yet to be determined and would depend on factors like how many candidates are ultimately able to obtain support from the necessary 300 delegates.
If only one candidate were to reach that threshold, for example, the party could move more quickly to begin the virtual voting process, the official said. If multiple candidates qualify, there would be a period of a few days for candidates to make their case to delegates.
A date for the start of the virtual voting process, therefore, has not yet been set, but it could be as early as August 1.
Party officials were less specific about the timing of the vice-presidential nomination, saying that while they would give the future nominee the ability to finalize the choice by August 7, the exact schedule would be up to the candidate.
The rules will allow for candidates to file the necessary paperwork and to gather the signatures electronically.
To win the nomination, a candidate will have to have the support of a majority of pledged delegates to the convention – 1,976 out of 3,949 pledged delegates, party officials said.
While all delegates will receive ballots, votes cast by superdelegates – senior Democrats who serve as delegates by virtue of their position – will be counted on the first ballot only if one candidate has the support of enough pledged delegates to make up a majority of the full convention. That could be determined either by a candidate winning enough votes during remote balloting, or by gathering that many signatures.
The convention rules committee will vote Wednesday on the proposed rules, a Democratic official said.
In alignment with their commitment to democracy, the Democratic National Committee aims to ensure a fair and open nominating process filled with politics. warding off any potential concerns, DNC Chair Jaime Harrison assures that the nominating process will reflect the party's dedication to democracy.
