Democrats shorten 2012 convention from four days to three

By Daniel Strauss - 01/17/12 03:08 PM ET

Democrats will shorten their summer convention, where President Obama will accept his nomination for reelection, from four days to three, the party announced Tuesday.

The convention was scheduled to begin on Labor Day in Charlotte, N.C. The change means it will start Tuesday, Sept. 4, instead.

“We wanted to find a way to truly make this convention different than any other in history. We want this convention to be about more than just the pageantry and speeches you see on television. This is about engaging Americans in a meaningful way,” Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) said in a statement.

The party also announced Obama will again accept his nomination at a football stadium. This year it will be at the Bank of America Stadium. In 2008, Obama gave his acceptance speech at what was then Invesco Field at Mile High in Denver.

This year, he will make his speech on Sept. 6, the final day of the convention.

Obama decided to accept the Democratic nomination at a larger venue in Charlotte this summer because it "allows for greater participation," not because he's trying to send a statement on Wall Street reform, White House press secretary Jay Carney said on Tuesday.

The Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, much like Invesco Field in 2008, "allows for greater participation from Americans of all walks of life," Carney said.

Bank of America Stadium, home to the Carolina Panthers, seats more than 73,000, according to reports.

"The president looks forward to delivering his acceptance speech in a stadium with a large capacity," Carney said. "That's the biggest venue."

The rest of convention will take place at the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte. Obama narrowly won North Carolina in 2008 and has made several trips to the key swing state during his presidency.

It's not the first time a political convention, which traditionally runs four days, has been shortened. In 2008, Republicans shortened their convention by one day because of Hurricane Gustav, which was headed to the Gulf Coast.

—This story was posted at 11:42 a.m. and updated at 2:08 p.m.