Democrats Explore Convention 'Contingency Options' Amid COVID-19

The Democratic National Committee is looking at contingency options for its July convention amid a growing expectation that the coronavirus crisis will not have abated by the time the parties are ready to nominate their presidential candidates.

“As we navigate the unprecedented challenge of responding to the coronavirus, we’re exploring a range of contingency options to ensure we can deliver a successful convention without unnecessary risk to public health,” Katie Peters, communications director for the DNC’s convention committee, said in a statement.

A convention is the only mechanism the parties have to nominate a presidential pick. If the pandemic persists, they would have to change the rules in order to hold a non-traditional convention. Voting by proxy at the national convention is prohibited under current rules.

DNC Chairman Tom Perez told NPR on March 10 he didn’t “think the Democratic convention is in jeopardy.” And two days later, in an interview with Axios, he said he was “not contemplating” a rules change to allow for an online convention to take place.

But Joe Solmonese, CEO of the DNC convention committee, said in a statement on March 10 that ensuring the convention is safe is a top priority and staffers will follow the guidance of the CDC and state and local health officials.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-23/democrats-explore-convention-contingency-options-amid-covid-19?srnd=politics-vp