CONWAY -- Democrats in Arkansas selected delegates Saturday for their party's presidential nominating convention after scrambling to meet the affirmative-action requirements laid out in a 42-page delegate selection plan.

At a special state convention, hundreds of activists and elected officials gathered to select 22 delegates for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and 10 for U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

After a disproportionate number of white men were elected during the morning session, officials scrambled in the afternoon to compensate for the imbalance.

Democratic Party of Arkansas general counsel Chris Burks repeatedly warned that there could be consequences if Arkansas failed to follow its numerical blueprint.

Delegates must "fit very specific categories," Burks told the crowd, warning that the national party would refuse to seat the delegation if it lacked sufficient diversity.

Nominations of people who didn't meet the required age, race or gender specifications were declared "out of order" and tossed out.

"The puzzle pieces have to fit together," Burks explained. "We are a diverse, big-tent party. We elect diverse, big-tent delegates here today," Burks said.

Failure to support affirmative action can have consequences.

In 2012, Tennessee attorney John Wolfe captured more than 40 percent of the primary vote against incumbent President Barack Obama. But he was disqualified and received no delegates after failing to submit a written statement outlining what steps he'd take to support the Arkansas Democratic Party's delegate affirmative-action plan.

Clinton and Sanders, on the other hand, both complied with the requirements and helped the state satisfy its diversity goals, officials said.

On Saturday, 32 delegates and three alternates were elected. Another five party leaders, often referred to as superdelegates, will also travel to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on July 25-28.

Of the 40 delegates and alternates, there are supposed to be nine blacks; four Hispanics; one American Indian; one Asian-American or Pacific Islander; five lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender Democrats; seven with disabilities; 10 between the ages of 18-34; 11 senior citizens; and three veterans. Half of the slots go to men; half go to women.

Sometimes, the allocation mirrors U.S. Census Bureau demographic statistics. In other instances, it is based on polling or other proprietary data, state officials said.

The "demographic goals," which the party doesn't refer to as quotas, kept party leaders crunching numbers throughout the afternoon.

Sometimes, the efforts to maximize diversity ended up minimizing competition, with some spots appearing to be narrowly tailored so only one person would qualify for the slot.

Karen Garcia, the former Democratic nominee for state treasurer, told the crowd at one point that she would accept nominations, but that the candidate would need to be a "Hispanic, male, LGBT, Pacific Asian" Clinton supporter.

Greeted with peals of laughter, Garcia replied: "Hey, I'm just a messenger."

Joshua Ang Price of Maumelle, the only candidate nominated who could check all of the boxes, was elected without opposition.

In his acceptance speech, Price said a mentor had told him, "You are as American as apple pie. You're just a little bit different recipe."

As he exited the stage, Garcia opened nominations for a "female, youth, Hispanic" Clinton delegate.

Afterward, Price, 36, said leaders had approached him about running because he was "a good fit" for the slot.

"Basically, I was three check-marks in one," he said.

A digital communications manager for the Delta Regional Authority, Price said he's been "very, very heavily involved" in the Democratic Party for the past year, and he's looking forward to casting his vote for Clinton in the convention hall and on Election Day.

"She's dedicated her entire life to this, and I can trust that she can go have dinner with the queen of England or meet dignitaries from all around the world, and I know that she's not going to stick her foot in her mouth or embarrass the United States," he said. "I know that she's going to take care of women. She's going to take care of America, and she'll really just help our nation move onto the 21st century."

Others who were elected as delegates said they're thrilled to be going to the national convention.

"It's a pretty amazing feeling. I didn't anticipate this much support here," said Andrew Gaber, shortly after being elected as a Sanders delegate.

The 30-year-old Springdale educator is looking forward to voting for Sanders in Philadelphia, but he said he'll back Clinton in November if she gets the party's nomination.

"I'm one of the Bernie Sanders supporters. I've been with him all the way, but regardless of who the nominee is, [Republican presidential candidate] Donald Trump is a danger to our national integrity and the integrity of our national economy. ... We have a lot at stake this year, and I'm going to support whoever the nominee is."

Opposition to Trump is something Sanders and Clinton backers share.

But Clinton's delegates, including 33-year-old Sarah Thomas, are also eager to see a glass ceiling shattered.

"I love Hillary Clinton. I want to see the first female president. And she's strong, and she cares about the disability community a lot," the Maumelle woman said.

Thomas, who works for a central Arkansas hospital, said her emphasis will be on promoting the Democrats and not tearing down the Republican nominee.

"I don't even focus on Donald Trump. I focus clearly on a happy outlook with Hillary Clinton. I think that's where our energy should go forth," she said.

Democratic officials expressed satisfaction with Saturday's convention. "There was obviously a real spirit of unity and people wanting to work together," party spokesman H.L. Moody said.

"We got delegates elected to the national convention without any of the trouble other states have seen this year. It was a very smooth process, all things considered," he added.

Metro on 06/12/2016