The DNC Finally Showed the Real America
From D.C. to the Northern Mariana Islands, the convention’s roll call was a reminder of the strength and beauty of America’s diversity
If you had said that the Democratic National Convention’s roll call would make us smile for more than 30 minutes straight, our cynical selves would have laughed. But that’s exactly what happened on the second evening of the Democrats’ national, and online, gathering.
The roll call of the states has always been one of the quirkiest parts of the quadrennial event. In it, delegates from across the country officially cast their votes to nominate a presidential candidate. But this is an unconventional convention, as DNC Chair Tom Perez said, and it made for one of the most powerful moments of the evening. Freed from the constraints of the convention floor, the roll call served as an opportunity to show the strength and beauty of America’s diversity.
The internet allowed for delegates to be broadcast casting their votes from their states and the District of Columbia in the continental U.S., and territories in the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean. The sites were poignant: We saw the inside of delegates’ homes. Deserts filled with cacti. Colorful community hubs. A mural of the late civil rights icon John Lewis…
