Democrats Approve Plan to Nominate Presidential Candidate Before Convention in Virtual Roll Call

The party is pushing forward with an early virtual roll call to ensure its candidate is on the ballot in all 50 states.

Jaime Harrison, chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) speaks at their Winter Meeting in Philadelphia, Pa., on Feb. 4, 2023. Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images

The Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) adopted its permanent rules for the 2024 convention in a 157–3 vote on July 24.

The rules solidify the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) existing plans to hold a virtual roll call ahead of the convention Aug. 19–22 to avoid Ohio’s earlier Aug. 7 ballot certification deadline, even though its state Legislature passed a measure in May to guarantee ballot access for the Democratic candidate, originally President Joe Biden.

The DNC also set the stage for this year’s convention in Chicago, where delegates will vote to officially approve the party platform and nominee. The rules provide a timeline for the nomination process and guidelines for both delegates and candidates.

“As a Party, it’s our obligation to design and implement a fair nomination process for delegates to formally express their preferences through a vote to select an official presidential nominee of the Democratic Party who will go on to top the ballot in November,” DNC Chair Jaime Harrison said in a statement.

“We are prepared to undertake a transparent, swift, and orderly process to move forward as a united Democratic Party with a nominee who represents our values and will lead us to victory in November.”

Democrats expressed concern in May over early certification deadlines in multiple states—including Ohio, Washington, and Alabama—that at the time landed prior to the convention dates.

Even though Washington and Alabama made similar fixes as Ohio, approving temporary extensions to their deadlines, the party wants to formally nominate its candidate in time to make sure the Democratic Party is on all 50 state ballots. Deadlines in other states, including Montana, Oklahoma, Virginia, and California, fall in the same week as the convention.

“We have taken an important step today to put our Democratic ticket on every general election ballot nationwide and on a path to winning in November,” DNCC Chair Minyon Moore said in a statement.

“The Convention in Chicago will be a critical moment for our party—not only to rally around our nominees and showcase their bold platform for the next four years—but to bring delegates to the table to vote on our Party’s platform and conduct a ceremonial state-by-state roll call that has long been a beloved tradition of our Party.”

2024 Presidential Nomination Timeline

Anyone interested in being a candidate for presidential nominee must declare his or her candidacy by filing with the convention’s secretary by 6 p.m. ET on July 27.

Candidates will have until 6 p.m. on July 30 to prove they have met three qualifications for nomination.

The candidate must first file a “formal and notarized declaration of candidacy” with the DNC, meet the party and legal qualifications to be president, and have the support—via electronic signature—of at least 300 delegates. No more than 50 delegates can come from the same delegation.

If more than one candidate meets the legal and party requirements for nomination and secures enough supporting delegates, “a brief period of no more than five days will follow for candidates to make their case to delegates and the public before voting commences.”

The earliest day of electronic voting will begin on Aug. 1 if only one candidate steps forward and meets the delegate support threshold. If more than one candidate seeks nomination with enough delegate endorsements, “voting will begin at a date to be determined by the DNC and DNCC chairs.”

Only pledged delegates can vote on the first ballot “unless a candidate has the verified support of a number of pledged delegates equal to or greater than a majority of all pledged and automatic delegates.” Superdelegates can vote on subsequent ballots.

The party will then select its presidential nominee by Aug. 7 and will allow that person to choose a vice presidential nominee ahead of the state ballot access deadlines.

Once the convention commences on Aug. 19, the party will host celebratory and ceremonial votes to recognize the presidential and vice presidential nominees, including a state-by-state roll call for the presidential nominee.