These Washington Democrats are voting 'uncommitted' to send message to Biden

Who is voting uncommitted in Washington state in the March 12 presidential primary?

KUOW spoke with a dozen people about why they were voting “uncommitted” – or not. We also heard back from dozens more via our Community Feedback Text Club.

Amelia Ireland, a mom in Bellingham, is voting “uncommitted” to send a message to the White House: Call for a ceasefire in Gaza. More than 30,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel began its offensive after Hamas militants killed 1,200 Israelis on Oct. 7.

RELATED: Vote 'uncommitted' in presidential primary, say coalition members for Gaza ceasefire

“I'm not comfortable with our options right now,” Ireland said. “Part of the fear and the anxiety around it is like, well, if this is it, then what do we do? Because this doesn’t feel right.”

Among those voting “uncommitted” are Seattle Jews.

Matt Weiner, with Jewish Voice for Peace Action, said Biden and the Democratic establishment are effectively approving and funding genocide in Gaza, leaving voters to choose “the lesser of two evils” come November.

“If the lesser of two evils is genocide, where are we at?” Weiner said.

Chelsea Alvarez with the Kadima Reconstructionist Community, a progressive synagogue, said, “A primary is not a coronation.”

“Every vote truly does count and can be an expression of our higher values,” she said.

Rebekah Harris Liebermann is the granddaughter of Holocaust refugees. She plans to vote “uncommitted” in the state’s Democratic presidential primary next week.

“My grandfather died just about a year ago, and it would break his heart to see what is being done in his name and in our names,” Liebermann said. “It is imperative that we do absolutely everything that we can to stop the genocide that's happening.”

Liebermann was part of a coalition working this week to organize “uncommitted” voters. The group included Palestinian Americans, Muslims Americans, members of the East African community, labor activists, and others who want an end to the war in Gaza.

Naazneen Ali, an Indian American, said the Palestinians' position reminds her of the territorial conflict over the Kashmir region, primarily between India and Pakistan.

"Palestinians should have a right to defend themselves, should have a right to their liberties,” Ali said. "I'm not forgetting my Kashmiri siblings. I'm not forgetting the Congo. I'm not forgetting other places of genocide."

Some Democrats told KUOW said they debated voting “uncommitted” but ultimately decided to vote for Biden, worried about diluting the president’s chances at taking the general.

An unnamed person replied to KUOW text club: “As utterly devastating as the war in Gaza is, I cannot be a single-issue voter, especially in the light of what former President Trump has done, eroding our democracy, and stacking the Supreme Court, which led to the reversal of Roe v. Wade.”

They continued: “I understand the strategy that some activists are taking, but I think it only serves in the long run to weaken our Democratic nominee. For this reason, I will be voting for Joe Biden, and will not be voting as uncommitted.”

AJ, in Bellevue, wrote to the text club: “I did consider [voting uncommitted], because of the message Michigan sent.”

Michigan is where the movement for Democrats to vote uncommitted started in Michigan, where more than 100,000 voters endorsed that option. Biden won the Democratic primary in Michigan nonetheless; NPR reported Biden picked up more than 80% of the Democratic vote, with nearly 618,000 votes.

AJ wrote that the message has been less clear in Washington state. “I'm not sure it would have the same impact."

Others who responded expressed full support for Biden, or at the very least, an unwillingness to jeopardize the president’s position as the Democratic nominee. Still others said they would vote instead for U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minnesota) who is also running for the Democratic nomination. Democrats may be changing its position.

Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday called for a temporary ceasefire. The Washington State Democratic Party has also advocated for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Democratic Party Chair Shasti Conrad would not respond specifically to the “uncommitted” movement in an email to KUOW. But she urged “every member of our party to turn in their presidential primary ballot by March 12.”

After the votes are tallied, 92 delegates from Washington will go to the Democratic National Convention. Any candidate who receives at least 15% of the vote will receive a proportional number of delegates. That includes Biden, his rivals on the Washington primary ballot, and the “uncommitted” option.

RELATED: Why do I declare a party on my Washington presidential primary ballot? (And other things you should know)

According to the Washington Secretary of State’s Office, a vote for “uncommitted delegates” allows those delegates to decide on a candidate during their national convention.

Republican primary ballots will not include the “uncommitted” option, as the Republican Party did not request it, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.

Of course, the decision to vote “uncommitted” may not end with the primary election.

Up in Bellingham, Amelia Ireland is already thinking about November, even if she doesn't especially want to.

“I’m terrified,” she said of the general election.

With nine months to go, Ireland said she hopes Biden gets the message from “uncommitted” voters like her and changes course, demanding a ceasefire. She hopes he’ll make her decision in November easier.

But there are no guarantees.

“It would be a dream if this works,” she said. “It would change everything.”

Presidential primary ballots must be postmarked by March 12, or turned into ballot boxes by 8 p.m.