Bernie Sanders stands with Vermont delegates and gives Hillary Clinton a loud endorsement

Bernie Sanders, standing with his home state faithful of Vermont and amid chants of "Bernie, Bernie," called for the Democratic convention to unanimously vote for Hillary Clinton as the party's nominee for president Tuesday.

"Madame chair, I move that the convention suspend the procedural rules," he said. "I move that all votes, all votes cast by delegates be reflected in the official record, and I move that Hillary Clinton be selected as the nominee of the Democratic party for the president of the United States."

The call by Sanders moved the nomination to a voice vote (also known as an acclamation).

Representative Marcia Fudge then took the voice vote, declaring the nomination for Clinton.

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The symbolic gesture provided an important moment after supporters for Sanders made their voices heard loud and clear early on the first day of the convention.

Clinton had already met the necessary delegate vote count by the time Vermont reported its delegate count, but the declaration by Sanders was an effort to convince his supporters to back Clinton.

Some Sanders supporters have resisted that call. A few Oregon delegates appeared at the convention on Tuesday with black gags over their mouths.

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Clinton offered the same gesture to Barack Obama in 2008, a move that also helped ease tensions between two camps that had waged contentious campaigns.