A few days ago, the Democrats completed the last necessary step before their general caucus, less than 80 days before the presidential elections, by naming Senator Kamala Harris as running for candidate Joe Biden.

The Democrats are expected to formally elect Joe Biden as the party’s candidate, and Kamala Harris as his deputy, in the presidential elections that will be held on November 3.

The conference proceedings will be conducted electronically using "video conference" technology, except for Biden and his deputy at the conclusion of the conference.

Conference organizers announced that state delegations would participate via the Internet, and delegates would cast their votes remotely.

Democrats are set to officially elect Joe Biden as the party's candidate and Kamala Harris as his running mate in the presidential election (Reuters)

Party unity

Candidate Joe Biden benefits from entering the Democratic Party elections this time and is largely united, unlike the situation 4 years ago when a big rift occurred between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders and their followers.

Opinion polls indicate that 96% of supporters of former candidate Elizabeth Warren and 87% of supporters of Bernie Sanders declared their support for Biden's candidacy in order to defeat President Donald Trump.

But there are risks also for Biden, as the experience of the last 2016 election is still fresh.

One of the most prominent indications of this risk is what opinion polls indicate that supporters of Trump's nomination are more enthusiastic than supporters of Biden's nomination, who has much to do to rally young voters and minorities who were a key part of the coalition that twice pushed Barack Obama to the White House.

Democratic Party General Conference schedule

  • Day one, Monday 17 August

Democratic General Committee Chairman Tom Perez is formally convened, Mayor of Milwaukee and Wisconsin Governor give welcoming speeches, then bylaws committees meet to finalize procedural matters.

And speaking on the first day of the conference: New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and a number of lawmakers and senators, most notably Bernie Sanders, and the first night will end with a speech by former First Lady Michelle Obama.

  • Day two, Tuesday, 18 August

Routine committee work continues, and party leaders meet to formulate the party’s final political program, a statement about the party’s political philosophies and goals for the next four years.

Programs are usually drafted by a committee prior to the conference, but this draft is open to discussion and modification during the conference.

The opinions of voters, delegates, activists, and small business owners in all states and territories will also be presented as they cast their ballots for Biden's nomination.

The second day will witness speeches by a number of the most prominent faces of the party, such as the leader of the Democratic minority in the Senate, Senator Chuck Schumer, former Secretary of State John Kerry, Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, former President Bill Clinton, and Mrs. Jill Biden, wife of candidate Joe Biden.

Obama with his former deputy, Joe Biden, the Democratic candidate for the upcoming presidential election, during a previous meeting (Reuters)

  • Day 3 Wednesday 19 August

The main event on this day is the formal announcement of the presidential candidate, and this procedure begins with a party member submitting the nomination proposal, and another member supports the proposal, and then the voting process begins, and the delegation of each state in turn is invited to cast the votes of its members.

The third day will also witness the speech of Vice Presidential Candidate Senator Kamala Harris, as well as Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and a number of members of both houses of Congress, most notably Senator Elizabeth Warren, and the night ends with a speech by former President Barack Obama.

  • Fourth and final day, Thursday 20 August

Speech is a number of senior members of both houses of Congress, most notably Senator Cory Booker, and a number of party leaders.

Candidate Joe Biden accepts his party’s nomination to become his official representative in the 2020 presidential election round. Biden talks about his vision of "uniting America to get us out of chaos and continuing crises, and to fulfill this promise to everyone."

Before Biden’s speech, a number of Biden’s family will speak, in addition to his deputy, Kamala Harris.