DNC schedule voted through, Barack, Michelle Obama to speak

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Joe Biden, his vice presidential pick, Barack and Michelle Obama will all be DNC speakers.

Biden will be inside the Wisconsin Center, but DNC 2020 CEO Joe Solmonese says several speakers will deliver remote speeches.

“If President Obama or anyone else decides that there’s a particular part of the country they want to speak from, we’ll have the technology to make sure that he is very much a seamless part of the programming,” Solmonese said.

The only confirmed speaking days are the vice presidential pick on Wednesday, Aug. 19 and Biden on Aug. 20. The convention will span Aug. 17-20.

Solmonese said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Bernie Sanders, I-VT,  are likely speakers, but the full schedule is still in the works, and they are not confirmed.

“I can’t imagine a Democratic convention without Senator Sanders and Speaker Pelosi being involved,” Solmones said.

The DNC rules committee voted on the schedule outline Thursday, July 30. The roll call of the vote for the nominee will occur Tuesday, Aug. 18, but because of the pandemic, ballots will be sent out Aug. 2 for delegates to fill out in advance.

“They’ll have up until Aug. 15 to fill out those ballots and return them to their state parties, and then we’ll tally them up,” DNC spokesperson Chris Meagher said.

The DNC has limited the on-air programming to two hours a night, but Solmonese said people in the Milwaukee area will have a much broader experience.

“There will be a lot more going on I think probably on the news over the course of the day, all day long, whether you’re turning your TV on at seven in the morning or midnight.”

The DNC still can’t provide details on how many people will be allowed inside the Wisconsin Center for the event. Meagher said they are still following advice from public health officials about the state of the COVID-19 pandemic in the area.