Democratic delegates begin voting for Harris

Democrats began the process to formally select Vice President Kamala Harris as their party’s nominee on Thursday, and the online roll call will take place untilMonday at 6 p.m. ET. The following day, Harris is expected to announce her vice presidential pick.

Why now? The delegates had devised the idea of certifying the candidate before the Democratic National Convention later this month to comply with early ballot deadlines in Ohio — deadlines that have since been pushed back. Still, the party decided to vote to solidify Harris’ candidacy ahead of her picking a running mate.

Fact check: President Joe Biden was not yet certified as the Democratic Party’s candidate before he withdrew from the race, so posts online about it being too late to remove his name from the ballot in certain states are based on misinterpretations of the election process.

Poll check: The vote comes as a nationalReuters/Ipsos survey showed Harris slightly ahead of Trump this week. Polls from a Republican firm, Public Opinion Strategies,showed them tied across five swing states, with Trump ahead in Arizona and Nevada, Harris ahead in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, and the candidates tied in Michigan.

For more on the road ahead, with Harris aiming to rebuild the blue wall, click here.