Democrats on Wednesday adopted the rules for selecting their presidential nominee, with the nomination of Kamala Harris expected to begin on August 1. The rules, approved by the Democratic National Convention’s rules panel, require presidential hopefuls to declare their candidacies by Saturday evening and submit signatures from at least 300 delegates by July 30.
Voting will be done through electronic ballots sent to convention delegates. If only one candidate meets the petition requirements, voting is set to start on August 1, with party leaders determining the voting timeline. In case multiple candidates qualify, a five-day period may be set for candidates to present their case to delegates.
The party aims to nominate its presidential and vice-presidential candidates by August 7 to avoid potential ballot access issues in Ohio. Although Ohio extended its deadline for official nominees to September 1, the new law won't be effective until the end of August.
All delegates will receive ballots, and votes from superdelegates will count on the first ballot only if one candidate has the support of enough pledged delegates to secure a majority. The nominee can select a running mate without additional remote voting.
The Democratic convention, scheduled for August 19-22 in Chicago, will include ceremonial votes for president and vice president, as well as a vote on the party platform. While the presidential vote will be a roll call, the vice-presidential vote is likely to be a voice vote.
