Posts on California passing during DNC roll call are missing context | Fact check
The claim: Post implies Harris didn't receive delegate votes from California
An Aug. 20 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) includes a clip from the Democratic National Convention's roll call during which a California representative says the state's delegation "passes" on casting its votes for Vice President Kamala Harris.
“BREAKING: California declines to give their delegates to Kamala Harris – they passed, instead,” reads the caption on the post.
Users took the post to mean Harris never received delegate votes from her home state.
“Finally, a reason to be proud of California,” reads one of the comments on the post. Another user says they were "shocked" by the post.
The post was shared more than 200 times in two days. Other versions of the claim spread on Threads and X, formerly Twitter.
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Our rating: Missing context
The implied claim is wrong. Following tradition as the presidential candidate's home state, California did pass its turn when it was first called in the roll call, but it was later called again to close the event. The state then delivered its 482 delegate votes to Harris.
Biden's home state also initially passed during 2020 DNC
The Aug. 20 roll call was symbolic, given that Harris officially became the Democratic nominee in a virtual roll call weeks before the Chicago convention.
The delegates are people who are chosen during primaries and caucuses to represent the party at the conventions. Candidates usually win delegates based on the party primary elections, but this year delegates shifted their votes from President Joe Biden, who earned delegates in the primaries, to Harris after Biden dropped out of the race.
Both California and Minnesota passed their turns when they were called during the alphabetical roll call, as Paste BN reported.
That's because they later closed the event as the home states of the Democratic presidential and vice presidential nominees. California Gov. Gavin Newsom appeared at the end of the roll call to deliver the state’s 482 delegate votes to Harris.
A similar procedure happened in 2020, when Biden's home state of Delaware initially passed but later cast its 32 votes for him to finish the roll call, the Delaware News Journal reported.
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Paste BN reached out to users who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Reuters also debunked the claim.
Our fact-check sources:
- KTLA-TV (YouTube), Aug. 20, Newsom delivers California’s delegates at DNC to seal Kamala Harris as presidential nominee
- The Los Angeles Times, Aug. 20, Newsom closes ceremonial roll call at DNC, kick-starts his advocacy for Harris
- Paste BN, Aug. 20, What to know about ‘celebratory’ roll call vote at Democratic National Convention
- PBS NewsHour (YouTube), Aug. 18, 2020, WATCH: Full Democratic roll call from Delegates across America | 2020 DNC Night 2
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