Working Families Party Urges New York Voters to 'Leave It Blank' for Gaza

As the death toll from Israel's war on the Gaza Strip hit at least 32,623 on Friday, the New York Working Families Party endorsed the "Leave It Blank" campaign, which encourages Democratic voters to cast a blank ballot in the state presidential primary next Tuesday to increase pressure on U.S. President Joe Biden to end the bloodshed.

Since January, when New Hampshire residents critical of U.S. complicity in Israel's genocidal assault wrote "cease-fire" on their Democratic ballots, voters across the country have used the primary process to stage similar protests. In Michigan, home to many Muslims and Arab Americans, over 100,000 people voted "uncommitted" last month.

"Instead of disconnecting from democracy, what we need to be doing is leaning into our democracy."

"Many New Yorkers are struggling with the question of whether to show up for Tuesday's presidential primary. We're urging voters to use their voice at the ballot box to send a clear message to President Biden that he must correct course on the war on Gaza," said New York Working Families Party co-directors Ana María Archila and Jasmine Gripper in a statement.

"With the general election seven months away, voters can make a strategic appeal to President Biden to listen to the overwhelming majority of voters who support a permanent cease-fire, the safe return of hostages, and emergency humanitarian aid," they added.

Biden is expected to face Republican former President Donald Trump in November. Although the Democratic president called for Israel to end the "indiscriminate bombing" of civilians in Gaza, his administration has also continued to arm Israeli forces—sending fighter jets and 2,000-pound bombs that can take out an entire city block.

"The war in Gaza has really splintered the Democratic coalition that is urgently needed to defeat Trump and his right-wing extremist agenda," Archila toldGothamist. "And it has created a very serious moral dilemma for voters across the country."

According to Gothamist:

Archila said she viewed the blank vote campaign as something that would engage and unify Democrats at a moment when they lack enthusiasm.

"Instead of disconnecting from democracy, what we need to be doing is leaning into our democracy," she said. "And we know that voters who show up in the primary are more likely to show up in a general election."

Archila and Gripper's party joins a growing number of groups supporting the campaign. They include IfNotNow NYC, Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) Action, MPOWER Action: Muslim Grassroots Movement, Peace Action New York State, Sunrise Movement NYC, U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights Action, and multiple chapters of Democratic Socialists of America.

Members of some groups backing the "Leave It Blank" initiative were among those who staged a protest at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Thursday as Biden was joined by former Democratic Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton for a fundraiser. Jay Saper of JVP said that "we will continue to raise our voices of dissent until Palestinians are free."

At least eight elected officials have also backed the call: state Sen. Jabari Brisport (D-25); state Reps. Zohran Mamdani (D-36), Marcela Mitaynes (D-51), and Phara Souffrant Forrest (D-57); and New York City Council Members Alexa Avilés (D-38), Tiffany Cabán (D-22), Shahana Hanif (D-39), and Sandy Nurse (D-37).

"This is our best chance to make clear that Democrats in New York will not accept the taxpayer-funded killing of innocent civilians."

"I urge all New Yorkers who want a cease-fire to join me in casting a blank ballot in the presidential primary on April 2nd," Hanif said in a statement Friday. "Our taxes are being used to fuel the death of Palestinians. This is a simple way we can join the national effort to encourage the president to listen to his base before it's too late."

The United States gives Israel $3.8 billion in annual military aid and Biden has sought $14.3 billion more since the Hamas-led attack on October 7, which led to Israeli forces bombing and blockading the Palestinian enclave for more than six months.

The Leave It Blank campaign "is an opportunity to register our collective outrage over the Biden administration's continued policy of disregard for human life in the Gaza Strip," said Avilés. "The presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party must know that its members stand with Palestine."

Noting that "Blank ballots will be counted," Mamdani declared that "this is our best chance to make clear that Democrats in New York will not accept the taxpayer-funded killing of innocent civilians."

In addition to New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin have votes scheduled for Tuesday. The Nation on Friday published a guide for how to continue the "uncommitted" momentum in the remaining Democratic primaries and caucuses in U.S. states and territories.