DNC's mad dash to finalize virtual voting plan for Biden nomination

• The goal is to use their convention week to talk up their candidate and tear apart former President Trump.

Behind the nasty public debate on whether Biden should be nominated early, there are private conversations on whether there's enough time to do it securely, transparently and effectively via a virtual process.

• The reality of the challenge will come into sharper focus after the DNC's rules committee meets on Friday to approve a tentative plan to start voting Aug. 1.
• The plan won't be formally announced until after there's a credentials committee meeting on July 21.
• That will set up a frantic two weeks, which could be more chaotic if Biden decides to drop out of the race.

Between the lines: Delegates remained concerned that the virtual voting process is really just a way to ensure that Biden is the party's nominee, and to quash the internal rebellion pushing him to step aside.

• There's deep skepticism about the DNC's stated reason for the virtual roll call — an Aug. 7 deadline to get on the ballot in Ohio — after Ohio changed its law.
• Some delegates are pleading for more time and an actual floor vote.
• "I need to be convinced that it is necessary to vote virtually in early August," said Gilberto Hinojosa, the chair of Texas Democrats and Rules Committee member.
• "I've always understood that that is what the convention is for," he said.

Driving the news: In an internal communication Wednesday morning, the rules committee co-chairs announced that the virtual voting would not begin until Aug. 1.

• But for several days, there have been deep concerns among DNC officials on how they will actually collect the ballots – especially from older delegates – before Aug 7, according to people familiar with the matter.

Zoom in: Before ballot counting even begins the DNC will have to communicate their plan to the public, and dubious delegates.

• They will also have to train state party officials and email ballots to some 4,000 convention delegates.

• "Given COVID safety concerns during the roll call in 2020, the Convention was required to conduct a virtual vote, and there's both sufficient expertise and time to effectively execute a virtual roll call in advance of the Ohio deadline," said a DNC spokesperson.
• "As the Rules Committee Chairs wrote in their letter to Rules Members yesterday, they are determined to ensure that President Biden is on the ballot in all 50 states in spite of the bad-faith actions of MAGA Republicans in Ohio," the spokesperson said.

Zoom out: In the last 24 hours, Biden has been hit by COVID — and a series of stories about senior Democrats, like Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), suggesting that the race is unwinnable for him.

• Within the party, there are real questions on whether Biden will be the party's nominee.
• While the DNC is preparing for "additional challengers," it is still proceeding under the assumption that Biden will be the nominee.

The bottom line: In a Monday email to delegates, which was mostly focused on the delegates' demographic details, the DNC asked delegates to indicate on a drop-down menu on who they will vote for: Joe Biden, Jason Palmer (who won American Samoa), Rep. Dean Phillips, or "uncommitted."

• Answers to that questionnaire will essentially give the DNC a whip count on how firm – or soft – support for Biden is among actual delegates.