The Democratic National Convention is set to be a four-day affair that will start on Aug. 17, but there will be several changes from the one in Philadelphia four years ago. 

The differences in the formatting and scheduling stem from the rise in cases of the novel coronavirus in the U.S. 

Having a convention where thousands from across the country join in one arena to hear speeches from people who are mainly older party loyalists was simply too risky.

In May, the Democratic Party started taking steps that would allow the thousands of delegates to vote virtually for the first time.

The convention was going to be held in Milwaukee, Wis. But after it was announced that former vice president Joe Biden will accept the nomination from his home state of Delaware, no part of the ceremony will take place in the Midwestern city.     

Republicans have also had to make adjustments as their convention was moved from Charlotte, NC to Jacksonville. FL. Now president Donald Trump says he will deliver his acceptance speech from the White House or Gettysburg, PA. 

A scaled-down gathering for GOP delegates will still materialize in Charlotte, N.C. and several protection measures will be in place. Parts of the event will be closed off to the press.  

The event losing the factor of crowds cheering and speakers addressing the country through a webcam instead of on-stage with cameras from every angle makes it less friendly for television. 

With every orator having to give their speeches virtually,flaws like freezing, drops in audio and pixelation are more  probable, making the task for producers much greater. 

Former First Lady Michelle Obama, whose address is scheduled for the first day of the convention, is having her speech filmed this week to avoid any errors. 

Her speech at the previous convention when she talked about her daughters was one of the highlights of the entire event. 

“I wake up every morning in a house that was built by slaves and I watch my daughters, two beautiful intelligent Black young women, playing with their dogs on the White House lawn,” Obama said. 

She will be one of the figures Democratic voters are most excited to hear from, but viewers might see this tactic as too staged. 

Republican former Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s address on the first day will be reminiscent of former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg’s speech in Philadelphia in 2016. Two outsiders who try to appeal to disaffected Republican and Trump voters. 

Senator Bernie Sanders is likely to be the opening speaker for Monday. The self-identified Democratic Socialist was Biden’s main rival throughout the primaries and he will have to make the pitch to unite both progressive and moderate voters. 

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will also try to ensure progressives come out to vote in November with her speech on Tuesday. 

The early endorser of Sanders and author of the Green New Deal was formerly unsure about backing Biden in the general election and has since co-chaired a unity task force on climate change with the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry. 

“In any other country, Joe Biden and I would not be in the same party, but in America, we are,” Ocasio-Cortez said in January. 

The party’s divisive 2016 nominee, Hillary Clinton, will be one of the keynote speakers on Wednesday. 

The former Secretary of State will forever be known for losing to Trump, a candidate who had no prior political or military experience. 

She is likely to lecture Democrats on what Biden is up against when he debates the president and the importance of the country electing their first female vice president. 

Biden has yet to announce his running mate, and finished  the interview process this week. Whoever he selects is scheduled to be the last speaker on Wednesday night before former president Barack Obama. 

One of the leading contenders to be vice president is Senator Kamala Harris from California. She currently has a slot on the final night of the convention. 

This has prompted many to believe that she will not be chosen, but Democratic insiders have confirmed that order of speakers can still be rearranged. 

That notion is further fueled by the fact former National Security advisor Susan Rice and Congresswoman Karen Bass from California, who are both on Biden’s final shortlist, were not listed as keynote speakers for any of the nights. 

Biden will be the final act of the convention and it is then that he will accept the nomination. 

After four days of hearing nothing but praise for him, the former vice president will continue to face an onslaught of attacks from Trump’s campaign which will only intensify as the two approach the presidential debates. 

Biden must hope the broad coalition that he has built, which stretches from Kasich to Sanders in terms of ideology, is strong enough to motivate some to vote against the incumbent and others to have faith they will be listened to by the next administration.