The Democratic National Committee voted Wednesday to set out the process by which it will choose its nominee for the 2024 presidential race.
Candidates who wish to be eligible for the nomination have to declare their intent to run between Thursday, July 25 and Saturday, July 27 at 6p.m. ET.
Candidates who have declared their intent to run will also have to get signatures from at least 300 of the DNC's delegates nationwide, with no more than 50 of them coming from a single state. The deadline to collect signatures is July 30.
If more than one candidate qualifies under those rules, the DNC will allow up to five days for candidates to speak to the public about their campaign, then hold a virtual vote to legally nominate their candidate on August 7. If only one candidate qualifies, the virtual vote will take place on August 1.
A candidate needs to win a simple majority of delegates to get the DNC's nomination.
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A floor vote will still take place at the DNC's in-person convention August 19-22, but since the binding virtual vote will have taken place, the convention vote will not be used to determine a winner.
Since President Joe Biden has stepped down from the 2024 race, he does not need to release the candidates he secured. All of the delegates originally pledged to him are immediately able to vote for the candidate of their choosing.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who has President Biden's endorsement, has already received delegate pledges from many states. She will still need to go through the process of collecting formal signatures and announcing her eligibility ahead of the DNC's virtual vote.
The DNC says candidates must pick a vice presidential running mate by the August 7 virtual voting deadline.
