Democrats to confirm nominees by virtual roll call weeks before DNC in Chicago to avoid legal challenges
Republicans have suggested challenging Democrats' ballot access should they vote on their nominee later in August
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Democratic National Committee announced Wednesday it will hold a virtual roll call vote on the party's presidential and vice presidential nominees weeks ahead of its convention in Chicago next month to avoid potential legal challenges.
It was suggested Republicans could challenge the inclusion of the Democratic nominee on a number of state ballots due to their respective election laws should Democrats delay voting on a nominee until the convention after President Biden dropped out of the race.
But the likelihood of such challenges appears to be fading.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Candidates will now have until July 27 to declare their candidacies with the convention and until July 30 to show they've met the qualifications for nomination. The earliest delegates can begin voting electronically will be Aug. 1, assuming Vice President Harris is the only candidate to declare and meet the required qualifications and delegate support threshold.
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Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks on reproductive rights at Ritchie Coliseum on the campus of the University of Maryland June 24, 2024, in College Park, Md. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Although unlikely, if more than one candidate declares and meets those requirements, a period of up to five days will be allowed for each candidate to make the case for nomination to the delegates before voting can begin.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Harris announced she'd locked up the nomination within 36 hours of Biden's exit from the race, noting she'd won commitments of backing from a majority of the nearly 4,000 delegates.
"I am proud to have earned the support needed to become our party’s nominee," she wrote in a social media post just after midnight early Tuesday morning.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}President Biden salutes as he boards Air Force One at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Del., July 23, 2024. (Ken Cedeno/Reuters)
"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.
"As extreme Republicans try to chip away at the faith in our institutions, the work of our Rules Committee and the responsibility of our delegates to cast their votes in the days to come proves that our democracy is strong."
Democratic National Convention Committee Chair Minyon Moore echoed Harrison in her own statement, saying she was "confident" the announced process was "secure, democratic and critical to our defense against bad-faith litigation coming from Republicans and dark money groups.
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The exterior of the United Center before a game between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Montreal Canadiens Nov. 25, 2022, in Chicago. (Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
"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."
The Democratic National Convention will kick off Aug. 19 at the United Center in Chicago and will run through Aug. 22.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News' Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.