The Democrats will meet in Chicago starting Monday for their quadrennial party convention. Here is an overview:
What is that?
National conventions are large gatherings of party officials, candidates, and allies. They meet every four years to formally nominate presidential and vice-presidential candidates, adopt a platform, a list of policy proposals that most party members agree with, and celebrate and network.
This year, Vice President Kamala Harris was officially nominated earlier this month through a virtual roll call vote. A ceremonial roll call vote is scheduled to take place at the convention, and Harris will officially accept the nomination.
When should I turn on?
The conference will take place from Monday, August 19th to Thursday, August 22nd.
Major news networks and a variety of streaming platforms will broadcast the evening’s events – typically speeches by senior party members – live. Primetime programming runs Mondays from 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern Time and Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern Time.
The full schedule of prime-time speeches has not been announced, but typically the vice presidential candidate accepts his nomination on Wednesday night and the presidential candidate’s acceptance speech concludes the convention on Thursday night.
Former presidents and presidential candidates are also likely to appear as speakers.
Throughout the day, delegates and party officials will hold various events and meetings, only some of which will be televised or open to reporters, as the convention is also a major networking event for Democratic politicians, strategists, activists and others.
How can I watch?
Network and cable news channels generally broadcast prime-time programming from start to finish.
National Public Radio will also broadcast large parts of the convention.
Congress organizers will also live stream the event on numerous platforms, including YouTube, X, and TikTok. A full list of official live streams can be found here.
Where will the conference take place this year?
The Democratic Party Convention is taking place in Chicago for the twelfth time, more than in any other city.
The evening’s main speeches will take place at the United Center, an arena that can accommodate tens of thousands of participants from the city’s professional basketball and hockey teams, as well as concerts and other events.
Daytime activities will be more dispersed, with locations at McCormick Place, about 6 miles southeast of the United Center, and in the River North neighborhood, about 2 ½ miles northeast.
How many people will be there?
About 5,000 Democratic delegates are expected to attend, whose official job it is to vote on the presidential and vice-presidential candidates.
According to the city, a total of around 50,000 people could come to the event.
Will there be celebrities there?
The 2016 Democratic National Convention, which nominated Hillary Clinton, featured celebrities such as singer Katy Perry and screenwriter and actress Lena Dunham. This was the last convention the Democrats held in person since they held the 2020 version online amid the coronavirus pandemic.
At the Republican Party Convention in July, musician Kid Rock and professional wrestler Hulk Hogan, among others, performed during prime time.
A full list of attendees for this year’s Democratic National Convention has not yet been released, but some fans of major music groups still hope to see their favorites at the event.
Where can I find fair, fearless and free reporting on Congress?
Right here! And from your state’s newsroom, which you can find on this map. Your state’s newsroom is sending several reporters to cover the convention and will have in-depth coverage of the major events and more.
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