Democrats approved this Wednesday (24) the rules that the party will use to choose its presidential candidate. Thus, the vote that should officially nominate Kamala Harris as a candidate will likely begin on August 1st.
Under rules approved by the Democratic National Convention’s rules panel, those seeking the nomination to run in the elections have until Saturday night to formally declare their candidacies.
In addition, they will have until Tuesday, July 30, to send signatures from at least 300 delegates — a figure in the US electoral system —, with no more than 50 from a single state within this limit.
The vote would come less than two weeks after President Joe Biden dropped his reelection bid and endorsed his vice president, who quickly consolidated support within the party for his presidential bid.
In the first days of the campaign, Harris gained the support of hundreds of elected officials from the Democratic Party, including everyone who was considered a possible opponent.
Thus, it took her less than 36 hours to secure the support of a sufficient number of delegates for the nomination.
How will voting work?
Voting will be conducted by electronic ballots sent to convention delegates.
If just one candidate meets the necessary requirements, which is likely given how quickly the party has rallied around Kamala Harris, voting should begin on August 1, although it will be up to party leaders to set start and end of voting.
If more than one candidate meets the requirements, party leaders can set a period of no more than five days for candidates to present their ideas to delegates.
Delegates will have 36 hours notice before voting begins.
And even if all delegates receive ballots, votes cast by superdelegates — senior Democrats who serve as delegates by virtue of their current or past positions — will be counted in the first vote only if a candidate has the support of enough “committed delegates” to make up the majority of the full Democratic convention.
This can be determined by a candidate winning enough votes during remote voting or gathering a sufficient number of signatures.
The objective is to have an appointment by August 7th
The Democratic Party has pointed out that its goal is to nominate its presidential and vice-presidential candidates by August 7, to avoid the possibility of litigation over ballot access in the state of Ohio.
Although the state has pushed back its deadline for political parties to submit their official nominees to September 1, the new law will not take effect until the end of August.
After a presidential candidate is nominated, the rules allow the nominee to nominate a running mate without the need for additional remote voting.
The rules also require ceremonial votes for president and vice president, as well as a vote on the party platform, during the Democratic National Convention, which is scheduled to take place in Chicago from August 19 to 22.
While the ceremonial presidential vote will be conducted as a roll call, the vice presidential vote will likely be a voice vote.
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