How Today's DNC Roll Call Could Get Raucous

ByMEGHAN KENEALLY ABCNews logo
Tuesday, July 26, 2016

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

The roll call vote of each state, which is going 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's and Sanders' names were placed into nomination for president at the DNC, largely a symbolic gesture for Sanders supporters. They will have 20 minutes of floor time to make speeches about the Vermont senator and Clinton.

In order to be technically placed for nomination, a candidate had to personally give his or her written approval to the convention secretary along with 300 signatures by 6 p.m. Monday. Both Sanders and Clinton did that.

How Today Will Be Different from 2008's Roll Call

Back when Clinton lost to then-Sen. Barack Obama, Clinton moved to stop the roll call and nominate President Obama 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 at the time.

After that, it took just a moment and a quick "aye" vote for him to officially be the nominee of the Democratic Party.

That same gesture of party unity will be expected from Sanders tonight.

The Theatrics of a Roll Call

Every state is called upon 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 total delegates, she'll be "over the top" and have enough to clinch the nomination.

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

His eldest son Donald Jr., who is a New York delegate, was the one to announce the state's tally and give his dad the final push to become the party's nominee.

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