The Drive to Vote ‘Uncommitted’ to Biden in Michigan Exceeds Expectations.
Although President Biden emerged victorious in the Michigan Democratic primary, Tuesday night delivered a powerful message from voters who expressed disapproval of his handling of the Israeli-Gaza conflict: Change course or risk losing votes in the general election.
According to results reported by The Associated Press, as of 5:00 am ET Wednesday, over 100,000 votes in favor of the ‘uncommitted’ option on the Democratic ballot have been tallied.
Despite this, Biden retains over 80% of the total vote, garnering nearly 618,000 votes.
The Listen to Michigan campaign, driven by predominantly younger Arab and Muslim organizers, spearheaded the movement to encourage Democrats to vote uncommitted as a form of protest during the primaries.
These activists are urging Biden to promptly declare a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and cease providing U.S. aid to Israel. This demand comes in the wake of the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, which claimed the lives of 1,200 people. Subsequently, close to 30,000 people in Gaza have been killed.
“We have led a movement that surpasses all expectations, using the ballot box to implore America to stop the loss of our loved ones,” stated Listen to Michigan spokesperson and Democratic strategist Abbas Alawieh during a watch party in Dearborn, Michigan. He emphasized, “That is all we are asking for: an end to the loss of our loved ones.”
Dearborn, where over half the population hails from Middle Eastern or North African backgrounds, has been at the heart of this movement.
Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud, speaking at the watch party on Tuesday evening, declared, “This coalition seeks to restore morality to our great nation, which we seem to have lost along the way.” He further pledged, “If not through this primary election, then in November, we will be the force that realigns our elected officials.”
The campaign’s objective was to secure over 10,000 votes—an approximate margin by which former President Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in 2016 when voter turnout decreased compared to former President Barack Obama’s re-election in 2012.In previous presidential primaries, the uncommitted option in Michigan has consistently received thousands of votes. For example, in 2012, the last time Democrats had an incumbent president on the ballot, over 20,000 individuals chose to vote uncommitted in Michigan. Additionally, in 2008, more than 238,000 people voted as uncommitted as part of a movement to show support for former President Barack Obama’s candidacy, despite his absence from the state primary ballot.
Notably, in 2020, Joe Biden secured Michigan with a margin of over 150,000 votes. However, the Listen to Michigan campaign organizers argue that the United States’ position on the war in Gaza has generated anger and disappointment, and failing to alter this stance could present significant challenges for the Democratic Party. According to the 2020 U.S. Census data, Michigan had over 200,000 registered Muslim voters and more than 300,000 residents identifying as Middle Eastern or North African.
Opposition to Biden’s handling of the Gaza conflict seems to extend beyond Arab and Muslim voters. In a December poll conducted by The New York Times and Siena College, voters under 30 expressed substantial disapproval of his actions.
Young voters are expected to exert a significant influence on the upcoming 2024 election. According to the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University, Michigan witnessed the highest turnout among individuals under 30 during the 2022 midterms.
The Michigan primary coincided with Biden’s announcement of a potential temporary cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, to be achieved by Monday.
Abbas Alawieh, spokesperson for Listen to Michigan and a Democratic strategist, stated that their primary goal is to urgently reach a cease-fire. Alawieh emphasized the campaign’s objective of urging the president to publicly call for a permanent cease-fire.
On Tuesday, organizers focused not solely on electoral outcomes. Lexis Zeidan, a spokesperson, emphasized the significance of those who were eagerly anticipating Biden’s course correction and those who still retained faith in the Democratic Party despite their disappointment in November.
Supporters eagerly gathered at the watch party in Dearborn to celebrate as the results slowly trickled in.
State Rep. Abraham Aiyash, a vocal proponent of the movement, looked beyond the primary and towards the Democratic convention, acknowledging the potential for the “uncommitted” option to earn at least one delegate.
Delegates are allocated by the Democratic Party if a candidate, in this case “uncommitted,” attains 15% of the statewide total vote and 15% of the vote in any given Congressional district.