The Democratic National Convention is set to take place in Chicago, and one of the main agenda items will be a ceremonial vote to officially nominate Vice President Kamala Harris for the presidential ticket. This vote is a re-staging of the official nomination vote that took place online earlier in August. The convention organizers have planned a celebratory roll call where delegates will gather on Tuesday to cast their symbolic votes. This will be the first in-person roll call since 2016.
The ceremonial roll call will follow the general format of past convention roll calls, with state delegations calling out their votes in alphabetical order. The voting will start with Delaware as a tribute to President Joe Biden’s home state and will end with Minnesota and California, symbolizing the passing of the torch from Biden to Harris.
While there won’t be any suspense in the roll vote as Harris has already been officially nominated, delegates will still cast symbolic votes for both Harris and vice presidential nominee Tim Walz. Harris and Walz will symbolically accept the nominations in speeches before the full convention, with Harris speaking on Thursday and Walz on Wednesday night.
The official nomination vote was held online before the convention this year due to a potential hurdle in getting the Democratic nominee on the ballot in Ohio. The deadline to file for the general election ballot in Ohio was Aug. 7, and DNC officials wanted to ensure that the Democratic nominee would be on the ballot.
Overall, the ceremonial roll call at the Democratic National Convention will provide an opportunity for delegates to celebrate the nomination of Kamala Harris as the first woman of color to lead a major party presidential ticket. This event will add some much-needed pizzazz and excitement to the nomination process, which was conducted online in a more subdued manner earlier in August.
