Democrats Developing Contingency Plans For Remote Convention

The Democratic National Committee is taking steps to prepare for a possible remote convention this summer, with a resolution being introduced to allow for changes to official proceedings given public health concerns.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, convention planners are exploring a range of contingencies for the August event in Milwaukee where Joe Biden is expected to be officially nominated as the Democratic Party's candidate for president.

When the DNC's rules and bylaws committee meets by conference call on Tuesday, it will take up a resolution that would change official proceedings "so as to safeguard the ability of all validly-elected Convention delegates to participate in the Convention in person or by means that allow for appropriate social distancing."

The DNC seems to be suggesting it's looking into the option of a virtual convention. It's now considering ways to ensure all delegates will be able to cast ballots and participate in the convention, regardless of whether they can travel to the convention in person.

This comes after the convention was already postponed from mid-July to the week of Aug. 17. While the DNC is making its contingency plans more official, chairman Tom Perez has continued to express optimism about holding an in-person convention.

"We're not going to put our public health head in the sand, but I'm optimistic that we can do so because we've put it off for five weeks," Perez told ABC's This Week on May 3.

The Democratic National Convention is scheduled to be held in Milwaukee one week before the Republican National Convention, which is set to be held in Charlotte the week of Aug. 24. [Copyright 2020 NPR]