The August 2024 election calendar is quiet for most of the world, but the American election will kick into high gear.
Though the United States will not elect its president and Congress until November, the campaign is in full swing. It will headline an otherwise sleepy month on the electoral calendar.
August 2024 Election Calendar: US President
Beginning on August 19, the Democratic Party will hold its quadrennial convention in Chicago. It is all but certain that they will nominate Kamala Harris, the sitting vice president, as its candidate for president. This will be the second time in history that a female will be a major party nominee in the United States.
Harris will accept her nomination on Thursday, August 22 in an address to the Democratic National Convention delegates.
This looks like a very, very different convention than many would have imagined in June. At that point, President Joe Biden was still a candidate, and following his debate performance, his odds of re-election sunk. On July 21, he withdrew and endorsed Kamala Harris, and she is set to take up her mantle as the party’s new leader. One can expect, however, that the DNC will pay tribute to Biden and give him a prime-time speech.
August 2024 Election Calendar: US Mayoral Elections
Two major cities will elect mayors in August: Miami, Florida and Tulsa, Oklahoma. Miami’s poll will take place on August 20, while Tulsa elects their mayor a week later on August 27.
Miami-Dade County elects a county-wide mayor, and the incumbent is Daniella Levine Cava. The office is technically non-partisan, but Levine Cava is a Democrat. She will run for a second term against six other candidates, the most prominent of which seems to be Manny Cid, the mayor of the town of Miami Lakes.
Republicans controlled the mayoral seat in Miami-Dade County for 16 years before Levine Cava’s election in 2020. There will be a runoff in November if no candidate receives a simple majority.
As for Tulsa, the seat is open as incumbent Republican GT Bynum is not running for a third term. Seven candidates are in the race to replace him. Oklahoma is a very red state, but Tulsa is far less so than the state’s average. However, they have not had a Democratic mayor since 2009. Like Miami’s election, this is also runoff-eligible if no candidate passes the threshold.
August State Primaries
Multiple states will hold their statewide primaries in August:
- Tennessee (August 1)
- Kansas (August 6)
- Michigan (August 6)
- Missouri (August 6)
- Washington (August 6)
- Hawaii (August 10)
- Connecticut (August 13)
- Minnesota (August 13)
- Vermont (August 13)
- Wisconsin (August 13)
- Alaska (August 20)
- Florida (August 20)
- Wyoming (August 20)
Other Elections: International
Kiribati: The only scheduled national election in August 2024 is the parliamentary election in Kiribati. Its two rounds will take place on the 14th and 19th, respectively. This Pacific island nation of over just over 100,000 will elect 44 new MPs. There is a 45th member, an unelected delegate.
The previous parliament was a 22-22 tie between the Boutokaan Kiribati Moa Party and the Tobwaan Kiribati Party. I know you will all be following the developments closely.
Northern Territory (Australia): We get to cover our first Australian election in August, as the Top End and other nearby areas head to the polls on 24 August. The centre-left Labor Party has ruled since 2016, but they will have difficulty winning a third term. Labor leader Eva Lawler has only been in the top job since December, but if opinion polls are right, Lia Finocchiaro of the centre-right Country Liberals may soon be the new chief minister.
