Democratic delegate rules, 2024

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2028
2020
2024 Presidential Election
Date: November 5, 2024
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Democratic Party Kamala Harris (D)
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Kamala Harris was selected by Democratic delegates as the Democratic presidential nominee on August 2, 2024. Harris received 4,563 delegate votes, which amounted to 99% of the delegates.[1][2] The national nominating convention is the formal ceremony during which the party typically selects its nominee. In 2024, the Democratic National Committee certified its presidential nominee during a virtual roll call held from August 1 and August 5.[3][4][5] The delegates are individuals chosen to represent their state, territory, or Democrats Abroad at the convention.

In 2024, there were an estimated 4,696 delegates: 3,949 pledged delegates and 747 automatic delegates—more commonly known as superdelegates.[6][7]

To win the Democratic nomination, a presidential candidate needed to receive support from a majority of the pledged delegates on the first ballot: an estimated 1,975 pledged delegates.[8][6][7]

If the convention was contested and went to a second ballot or more, automatic delegates—commonly referred to as superdelegates—would have been able to vote and a candidate would have needed to receive majority support from all delegates—2,349 votes. Previously, superdelegates were able to vote on the first ballot. This rule changed after the 2016 presidential election, when the Unity Reform Commission proposed several ways to reduce the number and power of superdelegates.[9][10] To learn more about the 2020 Democratic National Convention, click here.

This page provides an overview of the types of delegates to the convention and a summary of delegates by state. Election dates, delegate counts, and delegate allocation rules are subject to change as each state finalizes its delegation selection process.

Presidential nomination virtual roll call

See also: Democratic convention nomination, 2024

Kamala Harris received 4,563 delegate votes, while 52 delegates voted present, and 79 delegates abstained from voting.[11][12]

After the presidential primaries, Joe Biden was estimated to receive 3,896 delegates, followed by 36 uncommitted delegates, Dean Phillips with four delegates, and Jason Palmer with three delegates. Biden's, Phillips', and Palmer's delegates were all unbound after each candidate withdrew from the presidential race.[13]

In 2020, Biden won the Democratic nomination with 3,558 delegate votes, followed by Bernie Sanders with 1,151, and five abstentions. In 2016, Hillary Clinton won the Democratic nomination with 2,842 delegate votes, followed by Sanders with 1,865, and 56 unknown or abstention votes.

The following table contains the number of delegates Harris received from each state during the Democratic presidential nomination virtual roll call at held from August 1-5, 2024.[12]

Democratic presidential nomination roll call, 2024
State Harris
Total 4,563
Alabama 56
Alaska 19
American Samoa 10
Arizona 85
Arkansas 36
California 482
Colorado 86
Connecticut 73
Delaware 34
Democrats Abroad1 17
District of Columbia 49
Florida 243
Georgia 121
Guam 12
Hawaii 23
Idaho 27
Illinois 176
Indiana 86
Iowa 45
Kansas 39
Kentucky 56
Louisiana 47
Maine 30
Maryland 118
Massachusetts 116
Michigan 125
Minnesota 81
Mississippi 40
Missouri 68
Montana 24
Nebraska 34
Nevada 48
New Hampshire 34
New Jersey 142
New Mexico 45
New York 298
North Carolina 131
North Dakota 17
Northern Mariana Islands 11
Ohio 142
Oklahoma 41
Oregon 78
Pennsylvania 178
Puerto Rico 60
Rhode Island 34
South Carolina 65
South Dakota 20
Tennessee 72
Texas 263
Utah 34
Vermont 24
Virgin Islands 13
Virginia 119
Washington 101
West Virginia 24
Wisconsin 94
Wyoming 17


Delegate selection and allocation

Delegates are individuals chosen to represent their state at their party's national nominating convention. They are typically party activists, local political leaders, or early supporters of a particular presidential candidate. They are either selected in primaries, caucuses, or local party conventions, or included because of their positions as elected representatives or members of the party leadership.[14]

The number of delegates awarded to each state is determined by a formula that factors the state's popular vote for the Democratic nominee in the previous three elections, the state's electoral votes, and when the state's primary is held.[15]

Each state has its own method for selecting delegates that may occur at the county, district, and/or state level. In some states, a voter directly votes for a presidential candidate in the presidential preference primary and delegates are separately chosen at party conventions.[16] In other states, a voter indirectly votes for a presidential candidate by supporting a delegate or delegates committed to him or her.[17]

Delegates are allocated proportionally based on the outcome of each state's primary contest. A candidate is typically only eligible to receive a share of the pledged delegates at stake if they win at least 15 percent of votes cast in a primary or caucus. That standard is referred to as the 15 percent threshold.[18] In addition to pledged delegates, there are alternate delegates for each state, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, the U.S. territories, and Democrats Abroad. Alternates attend the convention but do not vote unless a pledged delegate is unable to attend.[19][15]

Pledged vs. automatic delegates

Pledged delegates

Pledged delegates are elected during primaries, caucuses, or party conventions, and must express either a presidential candidate preference or an uncommitted preference as a condition of their election. Rule 13(J) of the Democratic National Committee defines a pledged delegate's responsibility:

Delegates elected to the national convention pledged to a presidential candidate shall in all good conscience reflect the sentiments of those who elected them.[20]
—Rule 13(J), 2020 Delegate Selection Rules[19]

There are three distinct types of pledged delegates:[21]

  • Pledged district delegates are distributed and elected at the congressional or state legislative district level.
  • Pledged at-large delegates are distributed and elected statewide.
  • Pledged PLEO delegates are party leaders and elected officials. Pledged PLEO delegates are most often selected in a similar manner to at-large delegates.[21]

Automatic delegates

Automatic delegates are unpledged delegates to the Democratic National Convention. Automatic delegates, who are often called superdelegates, are not required to pledge their support to any presidential candidate. Automatic delegates include members of the Democratic National Committee, Democratic members of Congress, Democratic governors, or distinguished party leaders, including former presidents and vice presidents. They are free to support any presidential candidate of their choosing.[21]

Following the 2016 presidential election, the Unity Reform Commission was formed to revise the Democratic nominating process, including reducing the number and power of automatic delegates.[22][23][24] At the conclusion of the party's national convention on August 25, 2018, officials voted to adopt a measure banning automatic delegates from voting on the first ballot at a contested national convention.[25]

State laws and party rules on replacing a presidential nominee

See also: State laws and party rules on replacing a presidential nominee, 2024

Replacing a presumptive nominee before the national convention

The Democratic and Republican parties do not formally nominate candidates until delegates vote at the party's national convention. The Democratic National Convention took place from August 19-22, 2024, and the Republican National Convention took place from July 15-18, 2024.

A party's presumptive nominee, meaning the candidate who receives an estimated majority of delegates after state nominating events, could be replaced at the convention. Delegates could elect a candidate who they were not initially bound to at the time of their state's election. Both state law and party rules govern how a delegate must vote at the national convention, including whether a delegate remains bound to a withdrawn candidate and for how many rounds a delegate remains bound to a candidate.[26]

Both parties also have delegates who are not bound to a particular candidate at the convention. The Republican Party has a total of 104 unbound delegates, and the Democratic Party has a total of 739 unbound delegates. Democratic unbound delegates can only vote if a convention proceeds past the first round of voting.

Replacing a nominee between the national convention and the election

Under Article 2 of The Bylaws of the Democratic Party, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) has the responsibility to fill vacancies in presidential and vice presidential nominations between national conventions.[27]

In the event of a vacancy on the national ticket, the chairperson would call a special meeting. Under Article 2 § 8(d), questions before the DNC, with some exceptions otherwise outlined in the charter and bylaws, are determined by a majority vote of the DNC members who are present and voting by proxy. The bylaws also state that voting to fill a vacancy on the national ticket must proceed in accordance with procedural rules adopted by the Rules and Bylaws Committee and approved by the DNC.[27]

It is important to note, however, that states require political parties to submit names of presidential and vice presidential nominees and presidential electors before election day in order to certify them for the general election ballot. Deadlines vary by state and depend on the election calendar, including early voting, voting by mail, and absentee voting considerations.

Overview of Democratic pledged and automatic delegates by state

The map below compares delegate counts by state. A lighter shade of blue indicates a smaller number of delegates while a darker shade indicates a larger number.

Percentage of Democratic pledged delegates awarded over time


The following chart and table show the percentage of pledged delegates awarded over time following the primary or caucus of each state and territory. The percentage reflects the percentage of pledged delegates awarded by each date. States are still in the process of planning their primary nominating events, and this section will be updated as primary dates become available.

See also

Democratic delegate rules, 2016-2024
Use the dropdown menu below to navigate Ballotpedia's historical coverage of Democratic delegate rules.




Footnotes

  1. USA Today, "Harris makes history as first Black woman, Asian American presidential nominee," August 2, 2024
  2. CBS News, "DNC virtual roll call vote ends with Kamala Harris receiving 99% of delegate votes. Here are the full results." August 6, 2024
  3. ABC News, "DNC to nominate Biden and Harris to bypass Ohio ballot issues," May 28, 2024
  4. The New York Times, "Democrats Set Aug. 1 for Harris Nomination Vote," July 24, 2024
  5. CBS News, "Kamala Harris closer to being nominee as DNC approves early virtual roll call vote," July 24, 2024
  6. 6.0 6.1 Green Papers, "Presidential Primaries 2024 Democratic Delegate Vote Allocation," accessed March 28, 2023
  7. 7.0 7.1 These figures assume New Hampshire will only receive ten pledged delegates.
  8. The Democratic National Committee calculates a majority as 50% plus one delegate.
  9. Politico, "Kemp poised to spurn Trump on Georgia Senate pick," December 2, 2019
  10. The New York Times, "How to Win the Democratic Nomination, and Why It Could Get Complicated," February 22, 2020
  11. PBS, "Convention delegates will nominate Harris for second time. Less suspense but more pizzazz expected," August 20, 2024
  12. 12.0 12.1 CBS News, "DNC virtual roll call vote ends with Kamala Harris receiving 99% of delegate votes. Here are the full results." August 6, 2024
  13. Associated Press, "2024 Presidential Delegate Count," accessed August 28, 2024
  14. Council on Foreign Relations, "The Role of Delegates in the U.S. Presidential Nominating Process," February 9, 2016
  15. 15.0 15.1 Green Papers, "The Math Behind the Democratic Delegate Allocation," accessed March 28, 2023
  16. Vote Citrus, "Sample Ballot," accessed April 19, 2019
  17. Columbia County, "Sample Primary Ballot," accessed April 19, 2019
  18. If no candidate crosses the 15 percent threshold, it is lowered to half the percentage received by the frontrunner.
  19. 19.0 19.1 Democratic National Committee, "Delegate Selection Rules for the 2020 Democratic National Convention," accessed March 28, 2023
  20. Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  21. 21.0 21.1 21.2 Congressional Research Service, "The Presidential Nominating Process and the National Party Conventions, 2016: Frequently Asked Questions," December 30, 2015
  22. Politico, "DNC 'unity' panel recommends huge cut in superdelegates," December 9, 2017
  23. NPR, "DNC Group Calls For Drastic Cut In 'Superdelegates' As Part Of Nomination Process," December 9, 2017
  24. Pew Research Center, "Who are the Democratic superdelegates?" May 5, 2016
  25. Politico, "Democrats strip superdelegates of power in picking presidential nominee," August 25, 2018
  26. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named politifact
  27. 27.0 27.1 Democratic National Committee, "The Charter & The Bylaws of the Democratic Party of the United States," March 12, 2022
  28. The Green Papers, "Presidential Primaries 2024 Republican Pledged and Unpledged Delegate Summary," accessed March 27, 2023