DNC virtual roll call vote ends with Harris receiving 99% of delegate votes

Washington — The Democratic National Committee’s virtual roll call vote has closed, and the Democratic Party announced that Vice President Kamala Harris received the votes of 99% of the participating delegates. 

In a statement late Monday, Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison and Minyon Moore, the Democratic National Convention committee chair, said that the roll call results would next be certified by the convention’s secretary, Jason Rae, formalizing Harris’ status as the Democratic nominee who will take on Republican nominee Donald Trump in November.

Harrison and Moore said there would be a “celebratory” roll call at the convention later this month.

The roll call of state delegations had long been planned to take place virtually and weeks before the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, which begins Aug. 19. Harris on Friday secured the requisite number of delegates needed for the spot at the top of the party’s presidential ticket, after virtual voting began Thursday.

“I am honored to be the presumptive Democratic nominee for president of the United States,” she said in a call with campaign supporters Friday.

The vice president said she would officially accept the nomination after voting closed.

Harris’ nomination in the roll call vote caps a whirlwind two weeks for the vice president, who launched her campaign after President Biden bowed out of the presidential race on July 21.

The roll call solidifies the general election match-up of Harris versus Trump, who received the Republican presidential nomination during the party’s convention last month. While the GOP spent its four-day gathering in Milwaukee lambasting Mr. Biden for his policies and taking aim at his age, the party has had to quickly pivot to refocusing its efforts on Harris.

The vice president announced her candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination on the heels of Mr. Biden’s decision to end his reelection bid. She swiftly received the president’s endorsement and support from all Democratic leaders, including party elders and its rising stars.

To win the nomination, Harris needed to secure support from 2,350 out of more than 4,000 pledged and super delegates, her campaign said. She easily met that threshold Friday.

Harris has not yet announced her running mate, but is expected to unveil her pick on Tuesday. Her campaign vetted about a dozen contenders, including a number of governors from battleground states that are crucial for winning in November. 

Results of the DNC roll call of states for 2024

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Democratic National Committee
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Democratic National Committee

How did the Democratic National Committee’s roll call of states work?

The electronic voting by delegates began at 9 a.m. ET on Aug. 1 and closed at 6 p.m. ET on Aug. 5. Voting took place through an online platform operated by the Democratic National Committee.

Voting delegates received a personalized and watermarked form to cast their vote. Votes were tallied by the DNC.

What happened to delegates for candidates who dropped out?

Mr. Biden amassed enough delegates in March to clinch the Democratic presidential nomination, and the committee’s rules didn’t explicitly address how those delegates should be allocated after his withdrawal.  Party rules state that delegates pledged to a candidate “shall in all good conscience reflect the sentiments of those who elected them.”

But within days of launching her presidential campaign, Harris had received endorsements from nearly all state delegations, amounting to more than 3,700 pledged delegates. That support held, and Harris easily clinched the presidential nomination.