Kamala Harris will be confirmed as the Democratic US presidential nominee in electronic voting starting on Thursday, replacing the pomp of in-person voting that usually takes place at the party’s national convention.
Less than two weeks after Joe Biden ended his re-election bid, his 52-year-old vice president has taken full control of the party, and has emerged as the only Democratic candidate to challenge Republican Donald Trump in November.
Nearly 4,000 of the grassroots activists and politicians allocated delegates during the primary process sent in signatures to put Harris on the ballot for the five-day electronic voting.
No other Democrat has stepped forward to challenge her rise to the top of the ticket, making her confirmation as the first Black and South Asian woman to receive a major party’s nomination a mere formality.
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) said in a statement that he had secured the support of 99 per cent of the delegates who signed the petitions, while no other delegates met the qualifying threshold of 300 signatures.
“Our delegates have an important responsibility — and an opportunity — in the days ahead to cast history-making ballots for Vice President Harris, and ensure she will be on the ballot in every state this November,” DNC Chair Jaime Harrison said.
“Our party has met this unprecedented moment with a transparent, democratic and orderly process to unite behind a candidate with a proven record who will lead us in the fight ahead.”
In addition to the “committed” delegates, there are about 700 so-called “superdelegates” who have the right to vote because they hold elected office — such as a state governor or member of the U.S. Congress — or are party officials.
Nominations begin at 9:00 a.m. (1300 GMT) on Thursday, and delegates will have until 6:00 p.m. (2000 GMT) on Monday to return their votes via an online platform operated by the DNC.
The announcement is likely to be made late Monday night as she begins her campaign in seven crucial poll-bound states with her new candidate, who has not yet been announced.
US media reported she would begin her tour in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, although the DNC did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation.
The 2024 nomination system is largely similar to what it was in 2020, when large-scale in-person conventions couldn’t be held due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s still unusual.
The DNC adopted the virtual process because major parties in Ohio were given until Wednesday next week to submit their certified nominees for the November election.
However, much is still unclear regarding the declaration of results.
The DNC has not revealed whether the voting will be broadcast live or whether vote counting will be available to the public, and whether results, if available, will be made public before the voting period ends.
The virtual roll-call marks the official start of the 2024 convention, though in practice the festivities will begin when thousands of party grassroots activists gather in Chicago on Aug. 19.
Illinois will hold a formal vote for Harris and her running mate, a powerful celebration of their rise to the top of state politics.
“Think about it: Her father is of Jamaican descent, her mother is of South Asian descent and then she went to the great Howard University, worked in California, served in the United States Senate,” Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock said, addressing a crowd of 10,000 at Harris’ rally in Atlanta on Tuesday.
“This is the American story. She brings all of these aspects together. She sees us because in a real sense she is one of us.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
