How Today's DNC Roll Call Could Get Raucous

Both Sanders and Clinton will be given time to have their cases heard.

ByABC News
July 26, 2016, 9:51 AM

PHILADELPHIA, Penn.— -- The first few hours of the Democratic National Convention were rowdy, with some delegates and supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders jeering at several speakers. Day Two of the convention could be just as raucous on the floor.

The state roll call vote on the nomination, which is set to take place later today, will pose an even bigger opportunity for disgruntled Sanders supporters to show their displeasure with the presumptive nominee, Hillary Clinton.

Both Clinton and Sanders were placed into nomination for president at the DNC — largely a symbolic gesture for Sanders supporters. Each candidates' supporters will have 20 minutes of floor time to make speeches about their candidates.

    In order to be placed for nomination, the candidates had to give their written approval to the convention secretary, along with 300 signatures, by 6 p.m. Monday. Sanders and Clinton did that.

    2008’s Roll Call

    Eight years ago, after Clinton lost the primary contest to then-Sen. Barack Obama, at the convention she moved to stop the roll call and nominate him by acclamation.

    “I move that the convention suspend the procedural rules and suspend the further conduct of the roll call vote. All votes cast by the delegates will be counted. And I move Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois be selected by this convention by acclamation as the nominee of the Democratic Party for president of the United States,” she said.

    After that, it took just a quick “aye” voice vote for him to officially be the nominee of the Democratic Party.

    That same gesture of party unity is expected from Sanders tonight.

    The Theatrics of a Roll Call

    Every state is called on alphabetically, and a selected delegate or official from each state will speak before announcing how the state’s delegate vote should be allocated.

    Once Clinton secures 2,382 delegates, she’ll have enough to win the nomination.

    At the Republican convention last week, there was a procedural move that swapped the order of the states so that Donald Trump reached the required number of delegates with the votes from his home state of New York.

    His eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., who was a New York delegate, was the one to announce the state’s tally and give his dad the votes to win the party’s nomination.

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