‘Uncommitted’ voters in the Michigan Democratic primary won 2 delegates

PHOTO:Eric Suter-Bull holds a Vote Uncommitted sign outside a voting location at Saline Intermediate School for the Michigan primary election in Dearborn, Mich., Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024. Michigan is the last major primary state before Super Tuesday and a critical swing state in November’s general election.

The ‘Uncommitted’ voters in the Michigan Democratic primary are expected to send 2 delegates from Michigan to the Democratic convention in Chicago.

By: Clara Hendrickson , Detroit Free Press

Dearborn, MI- After pro-Gaza cease-fire activists in Michigan called on voters to vote “uncommitted” instead of for President Joe Biden in the state’s Democratic primary, two “uncommitted” delegates from Michigan are expected to head to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this summer at the gathering to decide their party’s nominee.

Election results compiled by the Associated Press show two out of the 140 delegates at stake in the battleground state were awarded to “uncommitted.”

Voting data from the Secretary of State’s office indicates that the “uncommitted” vote in the Democratic presidential primary exceeded 15% threshold needed to win delegates in the 6th and 12th congressional districts.

The 6th district represented by U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Ann Arbor, includes all of Washtenaw County where 17% of voters in the Democratic primary chose “uncommitted,” according to results from the county clerk’s website. The 12th district represented by U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Dearborn, includes all of Dearborn where the “uncommitted” vote trounced Biden.

Statewide, the uncommitted vote won about 13% of the vote in the Democratic presidential primary, according to the latest results from the Associated Press.

The Listen to Michigan campaign launched a few weeks before the primary election Tuesday to urge voters to protest Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war by voting “uncommitted.”

Organizers celebrated their campaign during a news briefing Wednesday at Haraz Coffee House in Dearborn and expressed hope that it would pressure Biden to demand a permanent cease-fire in the war.

Unlike most delegates awarded to candidates in primaries and caucuses, “uncommitted” delegates are not obligated to vote for any particular candidate at the Democratic National Convention this summer in Chicago. The individuals selected to fill delegate slots will be selected at party meetings later this spring.

Detroit Free Press/ YA LIBNAN

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