Party officials said deadlines for obtaining ballots, potential litigation by Republicans and the need to vet a vice presidential nominee had ruled out holding a “contentious in-person convention.”
The virtual election process is open to any candidate who collects 300 signatures from elected convention delegates, but no more than 50 from any one state. Candidates must also demonstrate that they are eligible for the presidency and are qualified members of the Democratic Party.
“As it stands, no candidate has secured a majority of delegates to the convention,” Moore said.
A timeline for the process will be announced Wednesday when the tournament's rules committee meets online. Electronic voting could be completed as early as Aug. 1, according to officials.
If there is more than one candidate who meets the qualifications, voting may be completed by August 7. The vice presidential nominee may be selected before or after August 7, depending on the preference of the presidential nominee.
Those seeking nominations will be provided with a list of representatives who they would like to be contacted by the candidates.
Votes of superdelegates – party officials appointed to convention positions outside the primary system – will not be counted on the first ballot unless it is clear one candidate has the support of a majority of all delegates, the people said.
“We are committed to an open and fair nomination process,” Harrison said.
After Biden dropped out of the presidential race on Sunday, nearly all Democrats expected to win the election ruled out running for Vice President Harris, who has Biden's endorsement and controls his campaign organization.
Author Marianne Williamson, who challenged Biden in earlier primaries but garnered little support, said she was seeking delegate support.
