Sweet home, Chicago: the Democrats return to the site of their most tumultuous convention. This time, they are united

J. Scott Applewhite/AP by Liam Byrne, The University of Melbourne and Emma Shortis, RMIT University Democratic Party delegates from across the United States will gather in Chicago for the Democratic National Convention (DNC) this week. While the usual purpose of a convention is for delegates from around the country to confirm the party’s nominee for a presidential election, this time around, Kamala Harris has already been confirmed by a virtual roll call. Presidential nominees these days have usually been decided through the party’s primary voting process by the time the convention arrives. As a result, modern conventions are primarily a media opportunity. It’s often where a vice-presidential candidate is introduced to a national audience and the “ticket” publicly stands together for the first time. Conventions also help to mobilise the party and its voting base, inspiring people to volunteer, encouraging party unity and, perhaps most importantly, boosting fundraising for the campaign. These huge events, which usually go for nearly a week, are also a rare opportunity for a party to attract a broad, prime-time audience. The nominees’ speeches are subject to a great deal of scrutiny. This means that, like presidential debates, conventions tend not to matter until they do....