Activists are hoping to send a message to the Biden administration during Michigan's Democratic primary election on Tuesday.
Currently, there's an effort by progressive groups and Arab American grassroots organizations to have people vote "uncommitted" in Michigan's Democratic primary election instead of Biden in protest of his approach to the Israel-Hamas war.
The move is being pushed by the group Listen to Michigan, which says it "strongly reject[s] Biden's funding war and genocide in Gaza." Frustrated with the lack of response, the campaign urges people to turn to a more traditional method of democratic expression: voting power.
"President Biden has been a successful candidate in the past by representing a broad coalition, but right now he's not representing the vast majority of Democrats who want a ceasefire and an end to his funding of Israel's war in Gaza," the group says on its website. "Trump only won Michigan in 2016 by about 10,000 votes. Uncommitted Michigan Democrats opposed to Biden's policy in Gaza can demonstrate that we hold his margin of victory for re-election."
"Biden must earn our vote through a dramatic change in policy," the group added. "If we can demonstrate our political power and discontent through thousands of of 'uncommitted' votes in the Michigan Democratic primaries, then Biden would feel more at risk of losing Michigan in the general election, prompting a potential reassessment of his financing and backing of Israel's war in Gaza."
In an appearance on CNN's "State of the Union," Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said any vote not for Biden -- even uncommitted -- is a vote for former president and Republican frontrunner Donald Trump.
"It's important not to lose sight of the fact that any vote that's not cast for Joe Biden supports a second Trump term. A second Trump term would be devastating, not just on fundamental rights, not just on our democracy here at home, but also when it comes to foreign policy," she said.
"This was a man who promoted a Muslim ban. This is, I think, a very high-stakes moment. I am encouraging people to cast an affirmative vote for President Biden," Whitmer added.
Listen to Michigan said an uncommitted vote is not an endorsement of Trump or a desire to see him return to power.
"The Democratic primary election is as an opportunity to question whether the incumbent genuinely holds the support of his own party's base. Michigan, a critical state in the general election and a key component of the Democratic coalition, is becoming a battleground where voters are expressing their disappointment and demanding a change in policy," the group said. "We are sending the warning sign to President Biden and the Democratic Party now in February, before it's too late in November."