Yes, there's still a presidential primary in RI. Here's everything voters should know.

Republicans and Democrats already have their presidential nominees secured with former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden, respectively, but there will still be a presidential primary election in Rhode Island on April 2.

Here's everything you need to know about what's on the ballot, who is on the ballot and why there's still an election.

Who is on Rhode Island's April 2 presidential primary ballot?

The presidential candidates who garnered enough signatures to qualify for the Rhode Island ballot include: Democrats Biden and Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips and Republicans Trump, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and entrepreneur Vivek G. Ramaswamy.

Live Coverage: RI voters head to polls in 2024 election

Why are candidates who dropped out still on the ballot?

All candidates who qualified for the ballot and did not formally pull out by Rhode Island's Jan. 30, 2024, withdrawal deadline are on the ballot.

"They may still receive votes and be awarded delegates in accordance with their party’s delegate selection plan," according to the secretary of state's office. (In Rhode Island, Republican delegates are apportioned among candidates who get at least 10% of the vote.)

How much money have candidates raised in Rhode Island?

The candidates' Rhode Island fundraising hauls during the two-year 2023-24 election cycle are a pittance compared with those in many other states. But here they are:

Biden: $206,004

Phillips: $385

Trump: $119,541

Haley: $72,560

DeSantis: $15,753

Christie: $4,626

Ramaswamy: $4,116

Other states have canceled their primary. Is Rhode Island still having one?

Yes, Rhode Island's primary is a go. Why? "The Presidential Preference Primary is required under State law (RIGL § 17-12.1-8). Voting has already begun," according to the secretary of state's office.

How can I vote in the election (Mail ballot? Voting early? On Election Day?)

These are the options, according to Secretary of State Gregg Amore's office:

By mail: Mail ballots must be returned by 8 p.m. on Tuesday, April 2. If returning by mail, the secretary of state's office recommended mailing the ballot at least seven days before the deadline. But that does not mean it is too late. Mail ballots can also be returned in any official elections drop box up until 8 p.m. on Election Day or at any polling place on Election Day.

"If you missed the deadline to apply for a mail ballot but are unable to vote in person, you can request an emergency mail ballot from your local board of canvassers," the secretary of state's website says.

Early: You can vote early in-person at the early voting location in your community. The last day of early voting is Monday, April 1.

On Election Day: Polling places are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day (April 2), with the exception of New Shoreham, which opens at noon. Find your polling place by visiting vote.ri.gov or contacting your local board of canvassers.

Who are the delegates on the ballot?

There are 16 Democrats and 53 Republicans seeking the chance to go to their party's national conventions this summer as delegates.

Rhode Island Democrats will send 30 delegates and two alternates, including the state's two U.S. senators, two U.S. representatives, the governor and other notables, to their party's convention. Only 14 of those seats are up for grabs in the April 2 primary.

There are 16 Biden-pledged Democrats competing for those 14 seats, including three city mayors: Brett Smiley of Providence, Don Grebien of Pawtucket and Maria Rivera of Central Falls.

In addition to the three mayors, the list of Biden-pledged delegate candidates includes:

Sen. Sandra Cano of Pawtucket; Kinnan G.S. Dowie; William Foulkes, the husband of 2022 gubernatorial candidate Helena Foulkes; Matthew Gunnip, SEIU Local 580 president; Thomas William Kane, Senate aide and chairman of the Cumberland Democratic Town Committee; Senate Majority Leader Ryan Pearson; Kristan Peters-Hamlin; and Debra Rota, a special assistant in the governor's office.

Also: Melissa Carden; executive director of the R.I. Coalition Against Gun Violence; Autumn Guillotte, a Rhode Island AFL-CIO field director; Erica Hammond, field director for Climate Jobs Rhode Island; Mary-Murphy Walsh, an elected organizer at SEIU 1199 and president of Young Democrats of Rhode Island; and Jay Gorman Wegimont, a Providence school district spokesman.

On the Republican side, there are 25 candidates competing to be Haley delegates at the Republican National Convention, 24 backing Trump and four running as "uncommitted" Republican delegates.

The state GOP gets to send a total of 35 delegates, 32 of them elected (including 16 elected delegates and 16 "alternates") and three more who go by virtue of their party positions: National Committeeman Steve Frias, National Committeewoman Sue Cienki and state GOP Chairman Joe Powers.

"We are a proportional state, meaning the delegates are awarded based upon how their candidates do in the primary," Cienki explains. "A candidate must win 10% of the vote to be awarded any delegates."

Those seeking to go to the convention as elected Haley delegates include former state GOP Chairman Giovanni Cicione; former Rep. Dan Reilly; Kenneth Naylor, chairman of Rhode Island Young Republicans; and Christopher Gontarz, president-elect of the Rhode Island Bar Association.

In addition, the aspiring Haley delegates include: Will Ricci, assistant treasurer of the state GOP; Kathleen M. Dickinson; Martin A. Saklad; longtime Providence GOP activist David Talan; Melita M. Warner; John Buehler; John D. Conforti; Harry Joseph Curran; Theresa M. Daly; Lori Morse; Stephanie Calise; Sheila Lee Curran; William Dewitt; Hopkinton Town Councilman Scott Bill Hirst; Kirk Jordan; former Bar Association President Thomas Lyons; Paul Maloney; Richmond Town Councilman Richard Nassaney; Emmanuel Cholo Nyema; home health care lobbyist and former member of the East Providence Board of Canvassers Nicholas Oliver; and Stephen K. Swallow.

Those seeking to go as Trump delegates include Rep. Sherry Roberts and former state Rep. Justin Price, the only Rhode Island legislator who took part in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

The other Trump delegate hopefuls include: former state Rep. Paul Durfee; Paul Carroll; John M. Conte; Edward Doura Jr.; Susan Anne Grenon; Olga Harbar; Michelle M. Sztabor; Lacey McGreevy; Harold Robert Rilling; Sean M. Todd; Exeter Republican Chair Diane Bampton Allen; Catherine E. Canavan; Bristol Town Republican Chairman Thomas M. Carroll; Aimee M. DeGregory; Allyn E. Meyers; Jennifer P. Nerbonne; Kathleen Odell; Esmeralda M. Pereira; Jorge Porras; Gregory J. Rice; David J. Shepherd; and Preston W. Woodward.

There are also three candidates seeking to go to the national GOP convention as uncommitted delegates: Karin N. Gorman, Stacia Huyler and Robert D. Sullivan III.

What do delegates do?

They vote. They socialize. They applaud speeches.

On the GOP side, they vote on the rules of order for how the convention will be conducted, how the Republican National Committee will operate over the next four years, the party platform, and for a presidential and vice presidential nominee. They also get to spend a lot of time socializing.

At the start, they will vote for the candidate to whom they have committed, unless the candidate has released them. In subsequent ballots, if they were to occur, each state delegation is governed by different rules, but generally, people can vote for whomever they want.

On the Democratic side, "Delegates will be attending meetings and caucuses during the convention. Their primary responsibility is to vote in accordance with the primary results and to vote on the Democratic party platform," according to Party Chair Liz Beretta-Perik.

Have any of the presidential candidates opened campaign offices here?

Simple answer: No. (And no visits by the front-runners either.)

"The Biden team should be contacting us soon regarding their arrival to Rhode Island for the primary. They do not have a Rhode Island office. We typically meet at our Warwick office," Beretta-Perik reports.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI's presidential primary is April 2. Here's what to know to vote.