How Democrats could replace Biden as presidential candidate before November
There would likely be a free-for-all of sorts between the Democratic heavyweights vying for the job.
Candidates would have to get signatures from 600 convention delegates to be nominated. There are expected to be some 4,672 delegates in 2024, including 3,933 pledged delegates and 739 automatic or superdelegates, according to Ballotpedia.
If no one gets a majority of the delegates, then there would be a “brokered convention” in which the delegates act as free agents and negotiate with the party leadership to come up with a nominee.
Rules would be established and there would be roll call votes for the names placed into nomination.
It could take several rounds of voting for someone to get a majority and become the nominee. The last brokered convention when Democrats failed to nominate a candidate on the first ballot was in 1952.
What happens if Biden steps down after the convention?
If Biden steps down after the August convention, the 435 members of the DNC would choose a new candidate. The members would meet in a special session to select a nominee.
Who are these 435 DNC members?
They are divided equally between men and women as well as various constituency groups, including labour leaders, LGBTQ representatives and racial minorities. Of the total, 75 are appointed at-large by the chair, while the rest are elected in their respective states.
Who could nominate an alternative in that case?
To nominate a candidate to replace Biden on the ballot, that person would have to have the support of a minimum number of DNC members — perhaps around 60, though the exact number would be determined by the DNC’s rules committee, which would lay out the rules for the proceedings before they began.
There would likely be nominating speeches and seconding speeches. Multiple candidates could be nominated before the list is whittled down.
How would those votes be counted?
The DNC would likely hold its meeting in Washington and the votes would be counted there. Ballots would be coded, signed and collected by hand. If a vote were to happen very close to Election Day on November 5, when it was not possible to meet in person, then it would likely be virtual.