FARGO, N.D. — After a contentious vote on Sunday, North Dakota Republicans elected 25 unaligned delegates to send to the Republican National Convention this summer in Cleveland, offering a presage of the confusion and chaos that seems certain to unfold there if the party remains unable to unite behind a nominee.

The scene here also illustrated what to expect in the coming weeks as state delegations across the country convene to pick the men and women who will ultimately choose the Republican nominee: how opaque the process can be, how quickly events can change and how newcomers to the political system are clashing with longtime party loyalists.

The North Dakota vote was essentially blind, with many of the party faithfuls who gathered inside a junior hockey arena here admittedly unsure whom they were casting ballots for. No candidates for delegate had to declare whether they supported Donald J. Trump, Senator Ted Cruz or Gov. John Kasich.