Prior to 1936 , the rule for nominating candidates for President and Vice President required a two-thirds vote of the delegates . However , this rule was abolished at the 1936 Democratic Convention and conventioneers adopted a rule which provided that a majority could nominate . This would allow for candidates to more easily be nominated and would thus produce less balloting . It also began to diminish the South 's clout at the convention , making it easier for Democrats to begin adopting civil rights and other liberal ideas into their platforms . The two thirds rule had long given the South a de facto veto on presidential nominees , but Roosevelt pushed for the removal of the policy , in part due to past deadlocks ( for example , the 1924 presidential nomination required 103 ballots ) . With the rule 's abolition , Missouri Senator Bennett Champ Clark noted that " the Democratic Party is no longer a sectional party , it has become a great national party . " Southern Democrats would continue to decline in power , ultimately leading to the Dixiecrat movement and Nixon 's 1968 Southern strategy
1924 presidential nomination
1924 Democratic National Convention
1936 Democratic National Convention