Arab Americans in Michigan see primary ballots as a tool for building political power

Some Michigan residents, including many Arab American and Muslim voters, are using their vote in the state's upcoming Democratic presidential primary to protest the Biden administration's stance on the Israel-Hamas war.

Organizers of one statewide initiative, Listen to Michigan, are urging voters to choose the option "uncommitted" on their Democratic primary ballots, instead of President Biden. They see next Tuesday's primary as a crucial moment to remind Biden of their collective political power.

"Every single vote for uncommitted, we will count as a victory," Listen to Michigan spokesperson Abbas Alawieh said in an interview with NPR.

Alawieh says that Biden has been dismissive of calls for a permanent cease-fire. Organizers hope that their collective action will force his campaign to pay attention to what they say is an important and growing voting bloc in a battleground state where a narrow margin could decide who wins the state in November.

Trying to turn a ballot into a bullhorn

Earlier this month, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian American serving in Congress, endorsed Listen to Michigan's campaign.

Tlaib has been an outspoken critic of the war. Weeks after Israel began bombing Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack, she co-sponsored a House resolution, introduced by Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri, urging the Biden administration to call for a cease-fire.

On Saturday, in a video posted to social media, Tlaib stood outside a voting location in Dearborn, Mich., reminding residents that early voting is underway and urged them to use their primary ballot as a form of protest.

"It's also important to create a voting bloc, something that is a bullhorn, to say enough is enough. We don't want a country that supports