Vote Uncommitted movement wants to send message to Biden over Israel-Hamas war

DEARBORN, Mich (FOX 2) - A group called Listen to Michigan is asking Democrat voters to send President Joe Biden a message during tomorrow’s primary election.

The grassroots effort has been sparked by the Biden administration's handling of the war between Israel and Hamas. It wants Democrat voters when they receive a ballot Tuesday to fill in the bubble that says uncommitted to send a message that Biden should support a ceasefire in Gaza.

Volunteers were busy making cold calls from a campaign office in Dearborn on Monday to get the word out.

Uncommitted is a term that the group of activists first heard back in 2008, when former President Barack Obama was running against Hilary Clinton in the Michigan primary.

"To vote uncommitted as a way to embarrass Hillary Clinton’s campaign and it really worked," said Layla Elabed. "So we’re taking that same method, that same strategy, and applying it to hopefully save as many Palestinian lives as possible."

The group started their campaign in early February, as another effort to get the attention of the current administration.

"We hit the streets, we demonstrated, we marched, we rallied. we called and wrote our representatives," said Elabed, the group's campaign manager. "We did everything we could to demand a permanent ceasefire, and now we are taking that protest to the ballot box."

Governor Gretchen Whitmer was on CNN this weekend urging voters cast a vote in favor of President Joe Biden.

"Any vote that is not cast for Joe Biden supports a second Trump term," Whitmer said.

The Listen to Michigan group says voters need to vote their conscience.

"They are literally not listening to the voters that put them in office in the first place," Elabed said. "And Democrats are demanding a permanent ceasefire. And if that falls on deaf ears then it’s only going to be the president and his administration that will have to answer to that."

This group plans to spend the primary election day spreading flyers and materials outlining their positions to as many voters as possible.

After the primary the future is a little uncertain for Listen to Michigan. They will watch how the results come in and determine how their position fared. Then they will set up a strategy session as to how they proceed going forward.

To learn more go to listentomichigan.com