Who are the DNC delegates, and what do they do?

With the Democratic National Convention fast approaching, Chicago is gearing up to host over 50,000 delegates, volunteers and media personnel in and around the United Center and McCormick Place.

As the United States Social Security and local law enforcement recently announced safety plans for the areas, more than 170 delegates from Illinois are set to attend the convention. 

But who are the delegates who have been elected to represent Chicago’s West Side and the western suburbs? And what exactly is their role at the Democratic National Convention? 

What is the DNC? 

The Democratic National Convention takes place every presidential election, convening delegates from 50 states and U.S. territories. The convention typically marks the end of the primary election season and the beginning of general elections. 

While the DNC serves as a period for Democrats to officially nominate a presidential and a vice-presidential candidate, in the past several decades, nominees have been announced long before the convention. This makes the DNC more of a celebration for the nominees and is a way for the Democratic Party to unify around the candidate’s platform. 

This year’s convention looks a little different from previous ones, when presidential nominees were chosen months before the DNC.

Before the 2024 DNC, which starts Aug. 19, delegates will officially select the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate during a roll call starting Aug. 1.

What do delegates do? 

Delegates represent voters and are the ones who officially nominate the Democratic presidential nominee. They must cast a vote for a presidential candidate or have an uncommitted preference.

On March 12, President Joe Biden received confirmation from most of the Democratic delegates that they would reelect him. After Biden withdrew from the race July 21, Vice President Kamala Harris crossed that majority threshold July 22. 

But an estimated majority confirmation only makes Harris the presumptive party nominee, not the official one. The formal nomination will come during a virtual roll call among over 4,000 delegates. This year’s roll call will take place Aug. 1 through Aug. 5. 

After delegates select the Democratic Party’s nominee, at the convention, they will attend speeches and get-togethers to rally around their presidential ticket and party platform. They will also vote on resolutions and platform initiatives.

How are delegates chosen?

Every state has its own way of choosing delegates. While some are elected at state caucuses or local party conventions, others are named a delegate because they are an elected representative who’s been voted for by the public.

In Illinois, voters who requested a Democratic ballot during the primary election in March had the chance to vote for delegates. Delegates who ran in Illinois had to be registered voters themselves, plus file a nominating petition, statement of candidacy and presidential preference form.

The number of delegates that each state got this year depended on the state’s number of electoral votes and the proportion of votes it gave to the Democratic candidate in the 2020, 2016 and 2012 elections. United States territories are given a fixed number of pledged delegates. 

There are a few different types of delegates, including district delegates and at-large delegates, who are elected statewide.

There are also PLEO delegates, who are the state’s party leaders and elected officials. PLEO and at-large delegates are elected by a quorum of district-level delegates.

District, at-large and PLEO delegates are bound to vote for a presidential candidate based on the results of their state or district’s caucus and primary vote count.

Superdelegates, on the other hand, can support any candidate, but only vote if the presidential nomination is contested. 

Who are the area delegates?

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is a PLEO delegate, along with Illinois State Comptroller Susana Mendoza, Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.

PLEO delegates also include Illinois Senate President Don Harmon, Emanuel “Chris” Welch, speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives, and Senator Kimberly Lightford. 

District-level delegates include Rory Hoskins, mayor of Forest Park, who has endorsed Harris as the presidential nominee, along with other district-level delegates like Ald. Emma Mitts of the 37th ward, State Representatives Kam Buckner and La Shawn Ford and Chicago City Clerk Anna Valencia. 

State Representative Camille Lily is an at-large candidate.

The DNC will take place Aug. 19 through 22.