Biden to accept nomination at largely virtual convention, delegates asked to stay home

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden will accept his party’s 2020 nomination at a mostly virtual convention in Milwaukee in August that will likely not include the hundreds of delegates from across the country who traditionally attend such conventions to participate in the nominating process.

“After consulting with public health officials about the COVID-19 pandemic, convention organizers are announcing today that they have determined state delegations should not plan to travel to Milwaukee and should plan to conduct their official convention business remotely,” the Democratic National Committee said Wednesday.

The committee confirmed the convention dates as August 17 to 20 and said the scaled-back event will have live broadcasts and “curated content from Milwaukee and other satellite cities, locations and landmarks across the country.”

The Republican National Convention, in which President Trump will receive the party nomination for a second term, is still slated for August 24 to 27. However, the main events have been moved to Jacksonville, Florida, because officials in North Carolina – the original main site – have coronavirus social-distancing rules that convention organizers say would negatively impact their event too much.