One RI delegate to the Democratic National Convention will be 'uncommitted.' Here's why.

The Rhode Island Democratic Party will be looking for more than a dozen delegates to the national party convention when it holds a state convention this summer, and one will be "uncommitted" for the party's presidential nominee.

In Rhode Island's presidential preference primary earlier this month, 3,834 people voted "uncommitted," after a progressive campaign urging them to do so in protest of President Joe Biden's support for Israel's military offensive against Hamas in Gaza.

Rhode Island Democrats will send 35 delegates to the national convention in Chicago this year, five more than normal because the state agreed to hold its primary with other states April 2 and not try to move it up earlier in the process, the state party announced Friday.

The delegate selection process is arcane, and the party released two infographics Friday to try to explain it, along with the 70-page rule document.

Like other state political party delegations, Rhode Island's is split evenly between men and women. And it includes a number of spots reserved for office holders and residents of the two congressional districts.

While "Uncommitted" received 14.5% of the vote statewide, it got 15.2% of the vote in the 2nd Congressional District, breaking the 15% threshold to get a delegate, the state party said Friday in a news release. The uncommitted delegate must identify as male and be from the 2nd Congressional District.

"Uncommitted voters are an important part of the process, voting as Democrats and making their voices heard,” state party Chairwoman Liz Beretta-Perik said in the release. “We are listening, and more importantly, President Biden is listening. President Biden is a caring and compassionate man – we are seeing and hearing a shift from the President. We need a peaceful resolution and aid must get to those who desperately need it."

Rhode Island's Uncommitted campaign was spearheaded by the Rhode Island Democratic Socialists of America, which last year announced it would "break with the Democratic Party."

Along with the dozen district-level delegates that were chosen in the primary, nine automatic delegates are already set.

That leaves six district-level delegates to be chosen – four from the 2nd District and two from the 1st District – five at-large delegates, three "Party Leader and Elected Official" delegates and two alternates.

Those interested in running for one of the open delegate spots should fill out a Pledge of Support form at the state party website.

The delegates elected in this month's primary, all representing Biden, were: Brett Smiley, Sandra Cano, Maria Rivera, Kristan Peters-Hamlin, Donald Grebien, Thomas William Kane, William Foulkes, Mary-Murphy Walsh, Melissa Carden, Erica Hammond, Autumn Guillotte and Jay Wegimont.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: "Uncommitted" wins one RI delegate to Democratic National Convention