Democrats vote to nominate Harris amid Trump race remark outrage

WASHINGTON: Kamala Harris will be confirmed as the Democratic US presidential nominee in an electronic vote that started on Thursday, replacing the fanfare of in-person balloting that usually kicks off the party´s national convention.

Less than two weeks after Joe Biden ended his reelection bid, his 59-year-old vice president is in full control of the party, having emerged as the only Democrat in the running to challenge Republican Donald Trump in November.

Just under 4,000 delegates -- the grassroots activists and politicians allocated during the primary process -- sent in signatures backing Harris to be on the ballot for the five-day electronic vote.

No other Democrats have stepped forward to challenge her elevation to the top of the ticket, making her confirmation as the first Black and South Asian woman ever to secure a major party´s nomination a formality.

She won the support of 99 percent of the delegates who signed petitions, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) said in a statement, while no one else met the qualifying threshold of 300 signatures. “Our delegates have an important responsibility -- and opportunity -- in the days ahead to cast their history-making ballots for Vice President Harris, ensuring that she will be on the ballot in every state this November.”