A new letter calling on the Democratic National Committee to delay a virtual roll call on President Joe Biden’s nomination — which could take place as early as Sunday — is circulating among Democrats on Capitol Hill, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.
At the same time, three former chairs of the DNC were sending a separate letter to committee members calling on the party to approve the virtual roll call that aims to formally nominate Biden ahead of the party’s in-person convention in August.
The DNC has indicated that the virtual roll call has long been part of their plans — since the party took action in rectifying a ballot certification issue earlier this spring, and it did not face the same objections before the calls for Biden to step down from the ticket began after the presidential debate in June.
Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison speaks during a trip across eastern North Carolina to engage with rural and Black voters, at NC Coordinated Campaign in Smithfield, N.C., May 24, 2024.
Allison Joyce/Reuters
“The suggestion that the timeline for the virtual roll call has been accelerated is false. The timeline for the virtual roll call process remains on schedule and unchanged from when the DNC made that decision in May,” DNC chair Jaime Harrison wrote in a statement to ABC News.
The draft letter among House members, first circulated by Democratic Rep. Jared Huffman of California, and obtained by ABC News, argues that holding the vote this early would be “stifling debate and prematurely shutting down any possible change in the Democratic ticket.” ABC News has confirmed that Rep. Mike Levin and Rep. Susan Wild will sign on to the letter.
The letter says holding an early virtual roll call is a “terrible idea” that “could deeply undermine the morale and unity of Democrats… at the worst possible time.”
Back in May, the DNC changed its process to nominate Biden ahead of an Aug. 7 deadline in order to comply with Ohio ballot access rules. But Ohio later passed legislation that pushed the deadline until Sept. 1, after the convention where his formal nomination was expected.
Given the new deadline, Huffman’s letter argues, there is no reason now to move forward with an early nomination.
The virtual roll call and Biden’s early nomination could happen between the dates of July 21 — when the DNC’s Credentials Committee has the final say on the virtual process — and Aug. 7, the original deadline for Ohio’s ballot certification. The in-person DNC convention begins Aug. 19. This is a timeline that was approved in early June, however, ahead of Biden’s politically disastrous debate. Still, members could object to this plan ahead of its finalization.
Staff with the Democratic convention tell ABC News delegates have not yet been trained on any virtual roll call system. They are waiting until final plans are decided.
The first step in the plan for the virtual roll call’s approval was by the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee in June — approval that came after Ohio had already pushed back its certification deadline.
At the time, RBC leadership stressed that they had to stick to their original plan to hold a virtual roll call as an “insurance policy.”
Now, the letter from the former co-chairs, obtained by ABC News, is being sent to the party’s Rules Committee members to still push for their support for the virtual roll call — especially as it comes under some scrutiny.
Former chairs Donna Brazile, an ABC News contributor, Howard Dean, and Terry McAuliffe wrote in the letter, “we believe that a virtual process — before the in-person Convention begins … is necessary to ensure that the Democratic nominees for President and Vice President appear on the ballot in every state and in the District of Columbia without basis for legal challenge. A different approach risks disenfranchising millions of voters and clouding the Democratic path to victory.”
The letter cited various concerns, including election litigation in other states, and that they still felt there could be issues with Biden getting on the ballot in Ohio. The former chairs wrote that due to the legislative process, Ohio’s delayed ballot certification may not be binding.
Besides for uncertainty over that date, they wrote, “we should expect conservative litigation on the issue, seeking to exclude the Democratic nominees from the ballot in Ohio. We cannot leave the rights of Ohio voters in the hands of Republican officials who have seized every opportunity to inject chaos into a routine process.”
On Tuesday, the Biden campaign responded at an unrelated news conference in Milwaukee to a question about why they’re continuing to pursue the virtual roll call.
President Joe Biden speaks during a presidential debate with former President Donald Trump, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta.
Gerald Herbert/AP
“We’re going to continue on that path, because we’re not going to leave it up to them to change the rules again,” Biden-Harris deputy campaign manager Quentin Fulks said.
Some members of the Democratic National Committee also oppose the plan. DNC member Jamie Selzler of North Dakota has openly criticized the virtual roll call, writing in a post on X on Tuesday, “The DNC should not be doing this, regardless of one’s view of Pres Biden. As an elected member of the DNC I will not be supporting this, and encourage the Rules Committee to keep the nomination and roll call at the Convention.”
Selzler told ABC News in a phone interview on Friday that he is worried any virtual process makes the DNC appear that they are silencing any dissent: “there could be a perception that this is some sort of backroom deal to get the nomination done early, to stop the questions to prevent any sort of drama at the convention.”
He said he has been speaking to several other DNC members who are privately “expressing their thoughts about that this is not the path that we want to go” in regards the current plan in place to nominate a Democratic candidate.
ABC’s Mariam Khan contributed to this report.