Biden Rumored To Have Resigned From The US Presidential Election, Democrats Discussed The Virtual Voting Process Ahead Of The Convention

JAKARTA - The Democratic Party Committee will meet to discuss the virtual voting process to nominate incumbent President Joe Biden as a party candidate in this year's United States (US) presidential election. This news comes amid the issue of Biden stepping down from the nomination for the US Presidential Election.

Reported by Reuters, the virtual vote will take place ahead of the face-to-face convention of the Democratic National Committee which began on August 19 in Chicago, when the party has historically nominated its candidate.

It's unclear how the nomination process will take place if Biden resigns.

For parties that have been divided over whether Biden should continue to compete against his Republican rival, Donald Trump, the virtual vote is another point of controversy.

Critics argue this is a way to encourage Biden to run as an official candidate for the party.

Another party, including DNC Chair Jaime Harrison, said it was necessary to handle an Ohio law that could render Biden's name not listed in a ballot in the state, if he was not nominated on August 7, before the Chicago convention.

However, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has signed a law extending the deadline until August 31, meaning official nominations at the Democratic Party convention will continue to comply with Ohio law.

The meeting on Friday, July 19, is expected to show the party's plans for a virtual vote and its implementation time.

Online or virtual voting also means there is no chance of a direct fight at a convention between delegates in Chicago that could embarrass Biden.

"On Friday, we will propose a framework for the best way to proceed," the DNC letter said to the meeting committee, which Reuters obtained.

"Next week, we will follow up with a second meeting to consider and adopt special rules for that purpose. No matter what is reported, our goal is not to accelerate," he added.

No virtual voting will begin before August 1, the letter said.

Biden is reportedly considering canceling his re-election campaign from the Democratic Party.

The 81-year-old is facing growing pressure from his party officials to leave his position as the main candidate for the Democratic Party after his poor debate performance on 27 June against Trump.

After weeks of insisting on continuing to run, Biden is now responding to calls for a serious resignation and many Democratic Party officials argue leaving the 2024 presidential election fight is just a matter of time, according to sources familiar with the matter.