A jubilant DNC roll call votes for Harris as nominee

Your trusted source for contextualizing Election 2024 news. Sign up for our daily newsletter .

The second night of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) got off to a raucous start as each state’s delegation cast their ceremonial votes to make Vice President Kamala Harris the party’s nominee for president.

Though the actual roll call happened virtually earlier this month, on Tuesday, celebrities and politicians announced their respective hometown delegations — to unofficial state walkout songs. DJ Cassidy played songs to introduce each state: self-proclaimed “Midwest Princess” Chappell Roan for Missouri, Dolly Parton for Tennessee and Beyoncé for Texas.

Lil Jon came out singing “Turn Down for What” before introducing the Georgia delegation, and actor Sean Astin of “Rudy” and “Lord of the Rings” fame kicked off the Indiana delegation’s moment in the spotlight. Actor Wendell Pierce of “The Wire” and “Suits” came out for Louisiana.

Eva Longoria was there to introduce Texas — before passing the mic to former Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards, whose mother, Ann Richards, was the state’s last Democratic governor in 1995. Richards then went on to introduce another notable Texan, Kate Cox, who sued the state of Texas after being denied an abortion following a diagnosis of a fatal fetal abnormality, the first lawsuit against the state after the end of federal abortion rights. Cox told the crowd that she was once again pregnant.

Gov. Gavin Newsom kicked off the California delegation’s vote for their former senator and attorney general, citing its role as “the most diverse state in the most diverse democracy.”

“California has always done the right thing,” Newsom said, pointing to the state’s long history of leading on LGBTQ+ rights and abortion rights, before saying it was “once again time to do the right thing and elect the United States’ next president, Kamala Harris.”

To check your voter registration status or to get more information about registering to vote, text 19thnews to 26797.