Michigan Primary: What We Know About ‘Uncommitted’

More than 100,000 Michigan voters cast a vote for “uncommitted” in Tuesday’s Democratic primary, a protest vote voicing opposition to President Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war. Two counties in particular, containing communities with high shares of Arab residents and younger voters, drove a third of the protest vote, according to a New York Times analysis of precinct results.

In Wayne County, where more than half of the state’s Arab population lives, 79 percent of the vote went to “uncommitted” in majority-Arab districts.

This was particularly pronounced in Dearborn, Dearborn Heights and Hamtramck, the three townships with the highest concentrations of Arab Americans.

For Arab Americans who sought to send a warning signal to Mr. Biden over his handling of the Israel-Hamas war, Tuesday’s protest vote largely achieved its goals, though it is unclear what that will portend for the general election in November. In Wayne County alone, the 26,000 votes for “uncommitted” surpassed one group’s target of 10,000.

The push for “uncommitted” spread beyond Arab American communities. In all but a handful of counties, “uncommitted” received 10 percent or more of the total vote in the Democratic primary. In past uncompetitive presidential primaries and caucuses across the country, the typical protest vote has been about 7 percent.

In Washtenaw County, “uncommitted” received more than 17 percent — tied with Wayne County for the highest share in the state.

This is largely attributable to the vote in areas with higher shares of voters ages 18 to 29, like Ann Arbor, home to the University of Michigan, and Ypsilanti, home to Eastern Michigan University.

In Michigan, “uncommitted” received two delegates to the Democratic National Convention. These delegates are not pledged to Mr. Biden and are free to vote for a nominee of their choosing at the convention.