Everything You Need To Know About the 2020 Democratic Convention
The Democratic Nominating Convention will definitely be different this year, and quite honestly, a lot more accessible for Americans all over the country to participate in.
The presidential nomination conventions have two key parts: 1) they nominate and confirm their presidential and vice presidential candidates, and 2) they adopt a comprehensive party platform.
The pandemic has, of course, scrambled a lot of the normal activities that accompany a convention. Here’s what happened, and what you can expect.
A tale of two parties
Unlike the Republicans, the Democrats moved quickly to change the convention in response to the emergence of COVID19. By early April they had pushed the dates of the convention out to August and shortly thereafter made the decision to make it a virtual event. There will still be some small business meetings in the host city of Milwaukee, but all of the speakers will be delivering their remarks from the safety of their homes.
Contrast that to the GOP Convention: By May, the GOP hadn’t changed anything about their convention which was slated to be in Charlotte, North Carolina, so the governor asked what their rules would be regarding masks and other safety measures. Trump wanted no masks, which the governor rejected. Trump then threw a temper tantrum and forced the GOP to find another host city. Jacksonville, Florida was selected but due to signed contracts, a variety of business meetings still had to take place in Charlotte. The GOP had raised about $50M in pledges for the convention but none of that money could go to Jacksonville, and donors didn’t want to pony up any more. COVID19 cases were skyrocketing in Florida and Jacksonville had to mandate wearing masks. Prominent Republicans start to announce that they won’t attend the convention in person. On July 23, Trump finally cancels the in-person convention.
Looking forward
The convention is the moment when we end the primary season and formally head into the general election. The Democrats have a broad array of speakers which represent the wide-ranging coalition that makes up our party. Here’s what you need to know to participate.
When is it?
Monday, August 17 – Thursday, August 20
Who is speaking?
There will likely be additional speakers added to the program. The full schedule, updated in real time can be found HERE.
Where can I watch it?
The events happen each night starting at 6PST/9EST for 2 hours. You can watch the events at the official site Dem Convention but it will also be streamed in a lot of other places, including YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, Apple TV, Amazon Prime or Echo, Facebook, and more.
How can I amplify the convention?
Well, you can always share this post on your social media accounts (wink), but you can also share a bunch of graphics that the Dem Convention has created for a variety of uses. Change your social media header, or post a graphic with the link to the convention stream. You can find the digital toolkit HERE.
How can I share my story at the convention?
The Dem Convention wants your story! Record a video where you answer one of these questions and submit it:
Why are you voting for Joe Biden?
What’s your American dream?
What do you want to see in our next president?
What have the last four years meant to you?
What makes you proud to be a Democrat?
Visit THIS PAGE to upload your video.
I don’t know about you, but I am so ready to start the general election. As a former president said, I’m fired up and ready to go!
By Tokyo Sand / Political Charge
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