When Newland Smith cast his ballot in the 2024 Illinois primary election, he did not select any candidate to be nominated to run for president. Instead, he wrote in “Gaza.”
Smith wasn’t the only one to withhold his vote. Over 42,000 Chicago voters cast ballots indicating no votes or write-in votes in the 2024 Democratic primary, compared to just over 12,000 in 2020. A portion of this increase was caused by the Uncommitted Movement, a group who withheld their votes in protest of the United States’ handling of the war in Gaza.
Since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel killed 1,200 Israelis, according to Israeli officials, Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian officials.
While Vice President Kamala Harris called for a ceasefire during her speech at the Democratic National Convention, she also stated that she would “always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself.” Smith said he “may well not” vote for her, former President Donald Trump or any third-party candidate in the Nov. 5 general election.
“I don’t see either the present administration of the vice president running for president and the Democratic Party or the other candidate being able to do justice in stopping this utterly insane, devastating war,” he said. “So I hate to be in this position, but that’s where I’m at.”
Smith is a member of Evanston Ceasefire, a coalition of Evanston residents striving to pass a ceasefire resolution in the Evanston City Council.
Some other members of the organization are also considering withholding their votes.
Dickelle Fonda said she plans to wait until “the very last minute” to vote. If Harris changes her stance on the war in time, Fonda will vote for Harris. If not, she won’t vote for either Harris or Trump, she said.
It is highly likely that Illinois will vote blue next week. In the 2020 election, Joe Biden won over one million more Illinois votes than Trump did. For this reason, Fonda said she is not worried that she will be helping Trump win the election if she refrains from voting for Harris.
“As a 75-year-old woman, I’ve waited a long time to vote for a woman for President,” Fonda said. “And I want that, but in good conscience, I can’t give her my vote at this point.”
In swing states, on the other hand, people withholding their votes will have much more of an impact on election results. For example, in the Michigan Democratic primary, over 100,000 people cast ballots for “uncommitted.” Biden won Michigan by only 154,000 votes in 2020.
Margaret Welch, another member of Evanston Ceasefire, said she would be voting for Green Party Candidate Jill Stein even if she lived in a swing state. Voting for Kamala just to defeat Trump would be an “unacceptable moral compromise” for her, she said.
“I don’t care if the Democrats lose,” Welch said. “It’s on them for … having such a horrible policy in Palestine and Israel and Ukraine, and I’m not responsible for that if I don’t vote for them. If I vote for them, I’m partially responsible.”
Many uncommitted voters hope that with enough people refusing to vote, Harris will be pressured into making a more committed effort to stop the war.
Evanston Ceasefire member Betsy Wilson is considering either withholding her presidential vote or voting for a third-party candidate. She said now is the time when voters will have the most influence over Harris’s policies.
“Now is the time to speak out and put as much pressure on her to work against the genocide as we can,” Wilson said. “Now is when we have power. We give up the power after the election because now she’s trying to win your vote.”
Email: [email protected]
Related Stories:
— Evanston Ceasefire coalition clashes with City Council over resolution
— Residents comment on Gaza ceasefire resolution at City Council amid heightened police presence
— Lake Street Church offers meditative strategies to alleviate election anxiety
