The Democratic Party will hold its national convention next week in Chicago. Here is what you need to know and how to tune in:
When is the convention?
The convention runs from Monday, Aug. 19 through Thursday, Aug. 22, with most of the noteworthy speeches occurring late in the evenings.
How can I watch the convention?
Scripps News will air live coverage of the convention on air and online from 8-11 p.m. ET Monday-Thursday. To find Scripps News on air, click here. You can also watch on Scripps News' website.
The Democratic Party also said it will attempt to reach a new audience during its convention by hosting vertical streams on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. The convention will also be available on Twitch, a popular video game livestreaming service.
What is the purpose of the convention?
The Democratic Convention has traditionally had several official functions. One is to officially nominate the party's presidential and vice presidential candidates for the upcoming election. The other is to vote on a party platform.
Given that primaries pick the delegates who vote for the presidential nomination, it's generally a foregone conclusion who the nominee will be. But this year, the process played out a lot differently.
For one, the Democratic Convention is being held after Ohio's original ballot deadline for presidential candidates. In lieu of conducting an in-person nomination, the party held its nomination virtually.
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Secondly, normally delegates are bound to candidates through a series of primaries held earlier in the year. After the primaries, President Joe Biden dropped out of the race. As President Biden won nearly all of the delegates, after he dropped out, they were free to vote for any candidate. But only one candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris, opted to seek the nomination following President Biden's exit.
While political conventions do serve official purposes, they have largely become four-night infomercials for the party's platform and candidates. And even as this year's Democratic Convention could have had some drama, Democrats head to Chicago already knowing who their presidential and vice presidential nominees are.
Who are the DNC speakers?
Customarily, the presidential nominee speaks at the end of Thursday's session, while the vice presidential nominee gives their acceptance speech at the end of Wednesday. These two speeches are generally the most-followed addresses of a given convention.
While as of now the party has not yet released a list of speakers for the convention, it is safe to say many prominent Democratic figures who back Harris will be featured. It has also been widely reported that President Joe Biden will speak on the first night of the convention.
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It is also widely expected that former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama will address delegates during the week.
Host city
Chicago will host the Democratic Convention for the first time since 1996. The city was also the site of the infamous 1968 DNC that led to massive upheaval and was the last open convention the party has had.
After riots and chaos erupted in Chicago in 1968, Democrats began employing primaries throughout the months leading to the convention to help decide on a nominee.
Hosting a major national political convention is a massive undertaking for the host city. In addition to delegates, political leaders and the media converging on the town, thousands of protesters are also likely to demonstrate there.
Given the security concerns, numerous blocks of downtown Chicago will be closed off to the public as thousands of officers from agencies throughout the U.S. will work to secure the area.
