A four-day convention is pegged geographically to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but amid the coronavirus outbreak many of its events will be held outside the venue, including the culmination. On Thursday night, former Vice President Biden will accept the nomination and address the nation from his home in Delaware.
The Democratic National Convention will also nominate US Senator Kamala Harris as Biden’s running mate, who, if victorious, will be his Vice President. In addition to fulfilling their nominating duties, delegates from across the country will adopt the official 2020 party platform.
The Democrats downplay coronavirus limitations, promising "a bigger stage than it ever was."
"This year, we’ll see fewer people behind podiums - and more people in living rooms, on factory floors, at small businesses, and in schools and town squares," convention organizers said in a statement.
They have announced over a dozen options for watching the gathering.
The Democratic National Convention runs from 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. EST from Monday 17 August through Thursday 20 August. Programming will include "both live and curated content originating from Milwaukee and other satellite cities, locations and landmarks across the country", according to organizers.
The audience will be addressed by ex-presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, their former first ladies Hillary and Michelle, Democratic governors of major American states, prominent senators and congress members, including the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Biden’s opponents during the nomination campaign - Senators Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Pete Buttigieg, former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, one of major sensations of the primaries.
Across all four nights of the convention viewers can expect performances from Leon Bridges, The Chicks, Common, Billie Eilish, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, Billy Porter, Maggie Rogers, Prince Royce, Stephen Stills and others.
"The performances - ranging from renditions of the national anthem, to American classics, to new songs - are expected to draw in new viewers who may not have tuned into conventions of previous years, ensuring the 2020 Democratic National Convention will engage more Americans than ever before," organizers said.
Political pundits explain that Wisconsin was chosen for hosting the event as a swing state in hopes to mobilize local Democratic sympathizers. The Republican Party will hold their convention a week later in Charlotte, North Carolina, to nominate Donald Trump for his second term.
Most polls predict Biden’s victory on 3 November, the Presidential election day, by a wide margin, but the incumbent dismisses projections as inaccurate and biased.