What's an open convention, and how could that play into Kamala Harris' vie for the presidency?

AUSTIN (KXAN) — With President Joe Biden announcing the suspension of his re-election campaign Sunday and throwing support behind Vice President Kamala Harris, the vice presidential-turned-presidential candidate now needs to gather support from Democratic delegates to formally cinch the nomination at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in August.

The DNC kicks off on Aug. 19 in Chicago. Under existing party rulings, the winning Democratic candidate to claim the nomination must receive support from 1,976 delegates — among approximately 4,700 Democratic convention delegates — on the first ballot of that vote, per survey reporting from the Associated Press. As of 3:30 p.m. on Monday, AP's survey anticipated Harris had likely secured more than 1,200 delegates' support, with 56 flagged as undecided.

Per AP reporting, Texas had seven delegates who signified support for Harris as of Monday afternoon, with three undecided.

Following Biden's withdrawal Sunday, DNC Chair Minyon Moore said the DNC's mission "remains the same" despite the switch up.

"During the convention, we will have an opportunity to show the country and the world who Democrats are and what we stand for," Moore's statement read in part. "Over the past year, we have been building the stage — literally and figuratively — for President Biden, Vice President Harris, and Democrats to tell our story to the American people. The historic progress Democrats achieved under the Biden-Harris Administration will still be central to that story, as will the story of what is at stake in this election."

While AP is indicating strong support for Harris early on, the delegate survey they're reporting on differs from the count of delegates won during the primary season. Democratic delegates "are free to vote for the candidate of their choice when the party picks its new nominee," per the AP.

What is an open convention?

This year's DNC could mark the first open convention in decades. An "open" convention is when there is not a determined nominee at the onset of the convention, per reporting from Voice of America.

Delegates who had previously been poised to nominate Biden can cast votes on any new candidates who throw their hat in the ring. Open conventions are divided into two subsets: "contested" or "brokered." Contested conventions typically refer to when no single candidate has received enough delegate support to secure a nomination, which can then turn into a "brokered" convention, or one involving multiple ballots to determine a nominee.

However, a pre-planned virtual roll call vote in the works could establish who the official nominee is prior to the convention. Per reporting from The Washington Post, that roll call vote would see which way delegates are poised to vote and would guarantee a candidate has the support necessary to cinch the nomination, removing the concern of an open convention.