On the first ballot for chairman of the Democratic National Committee Saturday, former Labor Secretary Tom Perez fell half a vote short of becoming the organization’s new chairman. In a brief speech before the vote, Perez said that "a united Democratic Party is not only our best hope, it is Donald Trump's worst nightmare."
Here was the tally of the 427 delegates who cast ballots:
Tom Perez……………………..213.5
Keith Ellison…………………..200
Sally Boynton Brown……….12
Pete Buttygieg…………………..1
Jehmu Greene…………………..0.5
Peter Peckarsky………………...0
Sam Ronan………………………..0
Abstentions……………………….1
Paper ballots were used in the election. Ahead of the vote, the DNC tested electronic clickers that were to be used to provide an instant on-screen count of the voting delegates. But outgoing chair Donna Brazile wasn’t comfortable with this, noting that security and the speed of the venue’s wi-fi were questionable, spurring her to stick with a paper tally instead.
On Thursday, South Carolina Democratic Party Chairman Jaime Harrison dropped out of the DNC contest and backed Perez. On Saturday, South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg dropped out without endorsing any other candidate.