Democrats plan to push ahead with virtual roll call ahead of their convention, with Harris favored

WASHINGTON — The Democratic Party plans to push forward with a virtual roll call in which delegates to its convention can choose a presidential nominee before they gather next month in Chicago — despite Vice President Kamala Harris being overwhelmingly favored to replace President Joe Biden at the top of the ticket. The convention rules committee will meet Wednesday to approve how the virtual roll call will work, but a draft of the plan was obtained by The Associated Press on Monday night. It does not list a date for when virtual voting would begin, but Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison said the process will be completed by Aug. 7 — or 12 days before the party’s convention begins. “We are prepared to undertake a transparent, swift and orderly process to move forward as a united Democratic Party with a nominee who represents our values.” He also said Democrats “can, and will, be both fast and fair as we execute this nomination.” Biden dropped out of the presidential race on Sunday, ending weeks of fighting among Democrats, many of whom feared he was not up to the rigors the campaign — much less a second term — following his poor debate against Republican Donald Trump last month.