The push to vote 'uncommitted' to Biden in Michigan exceeds goal

President Biden might have won the Michigan Democratic primary, but for some voters who disapprove of his handling of Israel's war in Gaza, tonight was about sending a strong message: Change course or lose votes in the general election.

As of 10:15 p.m. ET, more than 30,000 votes for the uncommitted option on the Democratic ballot have been counted, according to results reported by The Associated Press. Notably, Wayne County, where a significant portion of the organizing has been, has reported less than 1% of the results.

Listen to Michigan, a campaign started and spearheaded by predominantly younger Arab and Muslim organizers from Southeast Michigan, led a push for Democrats to vote uncommitted in the primary as a protest vote.

They're urging Biden to call for an immediate and permanent cease-fire in Gaza and stop sending U.S. aid to Israel. It comes nearly five months after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israel that killed 1,200 people. Since then, almost 30,000 people in Gaza have been killed.

"We have led a movement that is far exceeding expectations, using the ballot box to urge America to stop killing our families," said Listen to Michigan spokesperson and Democratic strategist Abbas Alawieh at a watch party in Dearborn, Mich. "That's all we're asking for. Just stop killing our families," he added.

The campaign's goal was to get more than 10,000 votes, approximately the margin that former President Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton by in 2016 when turnout dropped compared to former President Barack Obama's reelection run four years earlier.

In previous presidential primaries, the uncommitted option in Michigan has gotten thousands of votes. For comparison, in 2012, the last time that Democrats had an incumbent