Editor's note: NBC Chicago will offer a live feed of evening and primetime speeches each day Monday-Thursday in the player above and on the NBC 5 Chicago News 24/7 streaming channel. You can also stream the convention on our YouTube channel.
Delegates at the DNC did not get the opportunity to loudly cast their votes in-person during the convention, but a ceremonial roll call will still be held Tuesday to celebrate the nomination of Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
The roll call will take place during Tuesday’s session at the convention, and while the votes won’t be binding, the event is being billed as an experience “felt arena-wide” by delegates and dignitaries.
Here’s everything you need to know about the roll call.
What’s different about this year’s roll call?
Rather than being an official tally of the delegates needed to nominate the members of the presidential ticket, this year’s roll call will be ceremonial in nature.
That’s because Democrats moved to nominate Harris and Walz prior to Aug. 7, the original deadline for Ohio officials to secure spots on the November ballot.
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While the Ohio legislature passed a bill to change that deadline, Democrats sought to avoid any legal challenges to their ticket being on the ballot and opted for a virtual roll call instead, with delegates casting their ballots for Harris.
So while this year’s roll call will have the traditional element of going state-by-state and declaring support for Harris and Walz, it will only be ceremonial in nature.
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How will the roll call work?
The event will largely proceed with states going in alphabetical order to pledge their delegates to the Harris-Walz ticket, with a few exceptions.
All 57 delegations from the 50 states and U.S. territories will participate in the voice vote.
Will there be any additional surprises in store?
What will be unique this year is that each state will be introduced with “walk-up music” by an in-house DJ at the United Center. Some states will reportedly choose music that is representative of their home areas, and delegates will also get some surprise guests along the way.
Will any states be given special spots in the order?
While traditional roll calls have a home state provide the final votes needed to secure a majority, this year’s count is expected to proceed a bit differently. President Joe Biden’s home state of Delaware will likely get a special slot, as will Walz’s Minnesota delegation and Harris’ California delegation.
When does the roll call start?
The roll call is scheduled to get underway at 7 p.m., and is expected to take roughly one hour to complete.
