The Democratic National Committee (DNC) hopes to begin a virtual roll call vote for Vice President Harris, if she is the only Democrat running for the nomination, on August 1, and, if she wins the nomination, for her to select a running mate before August 7th.
Harris, or any other candidate who wants to throw their hat in the ring, would have to declare their intention to seek the nomination between this Thursday and Saturday at 6 p.m.
Candidates then need to qualify, which requires 300 delegates to sign a petition of support with no more than 50 delegates from any state, by Tuesday.
If more than one person qualifies, chairs can decide on a period of several days for candidates to present their arguments to delegates and the public, and voting will then begin around August 3.
The deadline moves to August 1, next Thursday, if only one candidate qualifies, the DNC said.
The Democratic National Convention begins August 19 in Chicago.
Harris has the support of more than 1,976 delegates needed to win the nomination, according to a Associated Press survey. No other Democrats have said they will seek the nomination after President Biden dropped out of the race.
DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison quickly acknowledged at the start of Wednesday’s rules committee meeting that Harris received sufficient support from delegates, but emphasized the importance of following procedure.
“As a party, we have an obligation to design and implement a fair nomination so that delegates can express their preferences through voting,” Harrison said.
The DNC announced Monday, a day after Biden stepped aside and endorsed Harris, that it would move forward with the virtual call and plans to have the presidential nominee by Aug. 7.
The DNC had previously planned to nominate Biden in a virtual roll call after Aug. 1 and before the convention, which begins Aug. 19.
Plans were initially made to ensure Biden appeared on the ballot in Ohio, but Gov. Mike DeWine (R) has since extended a key deadline there.
DNC officials, at their rules committee meeting on Wednesday, also said they have strong legal arguments and are prepared to compel them to defend their virtual roll call vote, anticipating legal challenges to their rules and procedures before and after the elections.
Before Biden dropped out, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) predicted there could be legal challenges in some states if he was not the Democratic presidential nominee.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
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