Democratic party officials have argued that a virtual vote to select a presidential nominee must take place by August 7 to avoid the risk of litigation in Ohio.
When and how must a running mate be selected to join the nominee on those ballots? This critical question is expected to be addressed by members of the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee during their upcoming meeting on Wednesday.
One committee member raised the issue of whether the vice president must announce a running mate for the roll call to happen, prompting discussions on interpreting existing rules or potentially drafting new rules to clarify the selection process and timeline.
According to sources, the official agenda for the meeting, which will be streamed online, has not been finalized by the co-chairs of the DNC’s Rules Committee.
With the party’s convention just four weeks away, the pressure is on to select a running mate for Vice President Kamala Harris, representing an accelerated vetting process that typically takes months. Choosing a running mate before the August 7 roll call deadline would require an even quicker decision-making process.
It was reported that Attorney General Eric Holder and his law firm Covington & Burling are overseeing the vetting process for Harris’ running mate.
In 2020, during a remote voting process similar to the proposed method for this year, Democratic nominee Biden was able to name a vice presidential candidate without the need for a separate vote to approve the selection.
