United States – A Democratic Party committee will convene on Friday to endorse an election by voting in absentia to present incumbent President Joe Biden as the party’s candidate in the current year’s election while Biden continues to “soul-search” whether or not to pull out of the race, as reported by Reuters.
Timing of Virtual Vote
This virtual vote would happen before the physical DNC convention on August 19 in Chicago when historically the party has been choosing its candidate. It is difficult to imagine what the nominating process would look like if Biden withdrew his candidacy.
For a party already polarized on whether Biden should continue campaigning against Republican challenger, Trump, the virtual vote is another thorn in the flesh.
Party Divisions and Controversy
Some of this position’s critics claim that it is a way of rushing Biden through early as the party’s official candidate. Others believe that it is needed to address an Ohio law that might have prevented Biden from having his name on ballots if he was not nominated before August 7, before the convention in Chicago.
But Governor Mike DeWine of Ohio has signed a bill that extends the deadline to August 31, which makes official nomination at Democratic convention consistent with the law in Ohio.
Meeting Agenda
The meeting on Friday is expected to indicate on how the party intends to conduct a virtual voting and when it is likely to be done, in order to show how much time is left before Biden became officially the nominated Democratic candidate for the November 5 polls. Online or virtual vote also eliminates the possibility of a floor fight in Chicago involving Biden’s delegates with embarrass him.
“On Friday, we will propose a framework for how best to proceed,” said a DNC letter to its committee on the meeting, obtained by Reuters. “Next week, we will follow up with a second meeting to consider and adopt specific rules for that purpose. No matter what may be reported, our goal is not to fast-track.”
Official Statements
The letter also indicates that no virtual voting will commence before August 1.
Reuters reported on Thursday that Biden was ‘soul searching’ before identifying himself as a Democrat and dropping his reelection bid. This is raising pressure from the leaders in his party for him to step down as their presidential candidate after displaying weakness in the recent June 27 debate against Trump, as reported by Reuters.
Although Biden has vowed to continue campaigning in the past, he is now reportedly seriously considering withdrawing, and several Democratic sources believe that an eventual withdrawal is inevitable.