As we noted in our July 29 editorial, we believe the Democratic ticket needs to demonstrate a commitment to transparency and accountability to the public. As we said then, with a presidential nominee who wasn’t even on the ballot during the 2024 primaries and caucuses, after eight years of accusations and vitriol that the Republican nominee is hostile to democracy, the Democrats have frankly earned their deficit of trust with many voters.

The next step in replenishing that trust — a vital task, given that our nation operates under a two-party system for better or worse — is for Vice President Kamala Harris to begin answering questions from reporters.

We can understand that the contours of this campaign are unusual. We can understand that the shift in candidacies may have required organizational feats that led Democrats to postponing such interviews and press availability.

But that understanding should only go so far.

The process of nominating candidates through primaries and caucuses effectively requires candidates to speak to newspapers, TV stations and, better yet, voters within the ranks of their respective parties. The Democrats’ bait-and-switch maneuvering has unfortunately denied the public that opportunity to scrutinize the agenda or philosophy of the presumptive Democratic nominee.

We hope Harris and her campaign staff can recognize how unacceptable that is and can work diligently to rectify it. Democrats deserved that before the nomination was decided and unfortunately for all Americans, didn’t get that. Now all Americans deserve transparency and accountability from the woman who wishes to lead our nation.