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Uncommitted Votes

Not Too Late For Uncommitted Movement To Hold Democrats Accountable

The activists had them right where they wanted them. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris had done everything they could think of to suppress the growing public outrage over their administration’s complicity in the genocide in Palestine, but hundreds of thousands of potential Democratic voters weren’t giving in. Led by the Uncommitted National Movement, they’d refused to pull the lever for Biden in the primaries, and were now threatening to withhold their support for Harris in November unless she and her current boss placed an embargo on America’s weapons shipments to Israel before the 2024 US presidential election.

For The First Time, Congress Will Vote On Blocking Weapons To Israel

Last week Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) announced that he had introduced legislation to block a $20 billion arms sale to Israel. The Joint Resolutions of Disapproval would prevent the delivery of offensive weapons that the State Department approved in August, just days before ceasefire talks were set to resume. The package includes fighter jets and advanced air-to-air missiles. “Sadly, and illegally, much of the carnage in Gaza has been carried out with U.S.-provided military equipment,” said Sanders in a statement. “Providing more offensive weapons to continue this disastrous war would violate U.S. and international law.

Inside The Uncommitted Movement’s Failure To Move The Democratic Party

The Uncommitted National Movement* was formed by activists and delegates to the Democratic National Convention following months of protest against the Gaza genocide and a groundswell of opposition against the Biden-Harris administration for its support for Israel. Although the pro-Palestine movement succeeded in carrying out a historic campaign that gathered hundreds of thousands of uncommitted and protest votes during Democratic primaries across the country, the Uncommitted Campaign thus far has failed in its efforts to shift the Democratic Party, or its presidential candidate, Kamala Harris, in any meaningful way on U.S. policy toward Palestine.

Electoral Politics Are Not The Way Forward For The Palestine Movement

Seldom have causes defined the Left within the United States like the fight for Palestinian liberation. Palestine sits at the intersection of myriad struggles ranging from anti-imperialism, anti-colonialism, anti-racism, LGBTQ+ liberation, labor justice, environmental justice, and more. This struggle, one that has been waged globally for decades, and in the United States, has remained a contentious issue across the political spectrum – an issue plagued with accusations of antisemitism, Islamophobia, and deeply ingrained chauvinism. The Left has not been spared amid that contention. This is far from surprising. After all, the Left in the United States is far from monolithic, nor are those who consider themselves a part of it immune from the upholding of colonial rhetoric and belief systems, analytical shortcomings, chauvinism – the list goes on.

What’s Next For The Uncommitted Campaign?

Primary season is coming to a close as we move closer to the presidential election. In recent months, thousands of voters have flocked to the polls to vote “Uncommitted,” a symbol of their displeasure with Biden’s support for Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza. That electoral push was birthed out of a Listen to Michigan campaign with a small budget and little time. In that state, more than 104,000 people voted Uncommitted. The subsequent national effort has earned the movement almost 40 delegates at the upcoming Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Where does the movement go from here and what happens to it after November?

Launch Of Pennsylvania ‘Uncommitted’ Vs. Biden

Pennsylvania organizers from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia and cities in between held a Zoom press conference April 3 to promote their write-in vote “Uncommitted” campaign for the April 23 Democratic Party primary for president. An “Uncommitted” vote demonstrates opposition to Genocide Joe Biden’s support for Israel. The goal of the campaign, endorsed by over 30 interfaith, multigenerational and multiracial groups across the state, is to turn out at least 40,000 people who vote “uncommitted.”

50,000 ‘Uninstructed’ Wisconsin Voters Send Biden Clear Message

A mix of rain and snow pelted Wisconsin on Tuesday, covering streets with sludge as voters braved their way to the polls. But despite the weather and what appeared to be low turnout in the primary, Listen to Wisconsin’s Uninstructed campaign defied expectations and netted nearly 50,000 votes. President Joe Biden beat Donald Trump by only about 20,000 votes in Wisconsin in 2020, and the strong showing for the Uninstructed campaign is a harsh rebuke of Biden’s policies around Gaza and the larger Democratic agenda as the incumbent is now faced with yet another critical Midwest swing state that may be lost come November.

Wisconsin’s Uninstructed Campaign Has Momentum

Organizers with Listen to Wisconsin, the group driving the state’s ​“Uninstructed” campaign, say next week’s primary will send President Joe Biden the ​“final, unequivocal message from the Midwest” that if he wants to beat Trump, he must act immediately to end the genocide in Gaza. Wisconsin may be the most pivotal swing state in the country, and Biden only beat Trump by the narrowest of margins there in 2020 — a little more than 20,000 votes, or just over 0.6%. And according to some recent polls, the incumbent is currently trailing (by anywhere from 2% to 6%) as he is losing support from voters — including younger voters — who care about the mass killings.

‘Uncommitted’ Vote Against Biden Blows Past Goal In Minnesota

A push from progressive Minnesotans and members of the Muslim community to get voters to check "uncommitted" in the state's Democratic presidential primary won nearly 46,000 votes Tuesday, far surpassing their goal of 5,000 votes. Organizers of the campaign declared victory Tuesday night, saying the result will send a message to President Joe Biden that large factions of his own party want him to support a permanent cease-fire in Gaza. "We're doing this so President Biden knows Democrats have had enough of this endless support of a genocidal regime," said Asma Mohammed, an organizer with the campaign.

Where Can Democrats Vote Uncommitted After Super Tuesday?

As Super Tuesday returns come in, it appears that almost 20% of Democratic presidential primary voters in Minnesota have cast ballots for ​“uncommitted,” ensuring at least one convention delegate. About 12% of North Carolina voters opted for ​“no preference.” Campaigns in Minnesota, Massachusetts, Colorado, North Carolina and other states with March 5 primaries asked voters to cast a protest vote over President Joe Biden’s support of Israel’s war on Gaza. The uncommitted push began with the Listen to Michigan campaign, which urged voters to fill in the uncommitted bubble to ​“strongly reject Biden’s funding war and genocide in Gaza.”

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Due to the attacks on our fiscal sponsor, we were unable to raise funds online for nearly two years.  As the bills pile up, your help is needed now to cover the monthly costs of operating Popular Resistance.

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