DNC Officials Looking at ‘Contingency Options’ for Nominating Convention

Officials for the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) convention committee say they are “exploring a range of contingency options” for the Democratic presidential nominating convention.

“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, a spokesperson for the convention planning committee, said in a statement on Monday.

She added, “This is a very fluid situation — and the convention is still more than three months away. We are committed to sharing updates with the public in the coming weeks and months as our plans continue to take shape.”

Earlier this month, DNC Chairman Tom Perez ruled out the chance the party could cancel its nominating convention. However, he also the committee was not “contemplating rule changes” to allow for an online convention.

The Democratic National Convention is scheduled to take place July 13 through July 16 at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.

Peters’ statement is just another example of how the coronavirus has impacted the presidential election.

In recent weeks, several states postponed their scheduled Democratic primaries in an attempt to keep their residents safe during the ongoing global pandemic.

Additionally, Democratic presidential hopefuls Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders have stopped holding physical campaign rallies and have instead streamed speeches to their supporters online.

Democratic lawmakers have introduced legislation to expand vote by mail as a contingency plan so that voters can participate in the primary process without having to leave their homes amid the outbreak.