The violence and destruction in Gaza has dominated the headlines for the past year. It's had a major impact on the political landscape for many Arab and Muslim American voters–and it’s mobilized young students on college campuses across the country.
The Uncommitted National Movement, which asked voters in the Democratic primary to choose “uncommitted” rather than support President Joe Biden, began in Michigan. It was a desperate plea from pro-Palestinian voters seeking to have their voices heard.
And not only did they force elected officials to listen, but they made history. We wanted to know: how did they do it–and what happens now?
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Turning anger into action
The Uncommitted Movement was started by pro-Palestinian activists in Michigan who felt ignored by the Biden administration regarding their concerns about the escalating violence and destruction in Gaza. The group started their organizing in early February 2024.
“In those short three weeks, we built a grassroots campaign that was multigenerational, multicultural, and multiracial,” said organizer Layla Elabed. “We earned over 101,000 uncommitted votes across Michigan.”
34-year-old Elabed is also the sister of U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian American serving in Congress.
What started as a localized effort quickly spread to other states like Minnesota, which launched its own uncommitted campaign during that state’s primary. In total, the movement amassed more than 600,000 protest votes across several states.
This movement was especially significant for Democratic-leaning voters in Michigan who felt that the administration they voted for wasn’t listening to their concerns. Elabed emphasized that these communities felt betrayed by the party’s stance on the Gaza conflict, given that many of them voted for Biden in 2020.
"You need the Arab-American and Muslim-American vote [in Michigan] in order to win your pathway to the White House," she said. "For us, we feel a deep betrayal, not just by this administration but also by the Democratic Party."
The original strategy behind the movement was to show Biden that, without a change in approach to the war in Gaza, he was in serious trouble come November. And then, in July, the president stepped down as the Democratic presidential presumptive nominee. For many organizers in the movement, this felt like a big win.
“It absolutely did,” said 32-year-old Uncommitted organizer Lexi Zeidan. “And this reality that like, in a moment where we all could have backed down, in a moment where people could have remained disillusioned, we used our anger and our frustration in a way that did result in a win for the movement.”
Cautious optimism, then disappointment
After Biden dropped out, many uncommitted voters wanted was a candidate who reflected their opposition to the administration’s support of Israel in the conflict in Gaza. They wanted someone who would listen when they called for a ceasefire or, at the very least, an arms embargo. When Harris announced her candidacy, many Arab-American Michiganders like Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud expressed a cautious optimism about the shift at the top of the ticket.
“The door of hope is cracked open, where it was securely closed under President Biden,” Hammoud told us shortly after Harris got in the race.
But Harris's nomination have not unified anti-war voters, and her statements are much aligned with the current Biden Administration's handling of Israel. Pro-Palestinian Democrats were further disappointed at the Democratic National Convention, when requests from Uncommitted organizers and supporters for Palestinian Americans to speak on the DNC stage were denied. The DNC invited an Israeli American family to share in their grief on stage, but no Palestinian Americans.
Among those who expressed dismay were Rima Mohammed, an Ann Arbor Board of Education trustee and a DNC delegate who represented the "uncommitted" voters of Michigan on the floor.
"I was very optimistic in the beginning," she said. "To find out that the DNC would not feature a Palestinian-American speaking from the floor felt as if my life as a U.S. citizen, and a proud Democrat, did not matter."
Since the DNC, the conflict and violence stemming from Israel has expanded into Lebanon. That means the number of people in Michigan directly impacted by war is growing. That includes Mayor Hammoud, who, as with many of his constituents in Dearborn, is Lebanese American.
“I think for for many of us right now, almost on a daily basis, we're seeing a flier for another funeral,” he told us. “The first Lebanese American citizen that died was a Dearborn resident. I think the most appalling thing was when the White House administration first learned about this, their reaction was to deny that he was a citizen to begin with.”
He’s referring to Dearborn resident 56-year-old Kamel Ahmad Jawad, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike earlier this month. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller originally said that Jawad was a legal resident, not a citizen. The department later corrected their statement.
"The dehumanization continues," said Hammoud. "It seemed to say that there are two types of deaths; those of American citizens and those of non-American citizens. And even then it seems that there's a hierarchy; if you're an Arab or Muslim American it also doesn't matter as much, as you're expendable."
Hammoud said he has still not seen meaningful change from the White House when it comes to their position on the conflict.
"[Harris] said she can't highlight any change in policy relative to President Joe Biden about what she would do differently. I think that is very dangerous," Hammoud told us in an October interview.
This has left many voters at a crossroads. The Uncommitted Movement's leaders insist that they cannot endorse Vice President Harris. But they have also voiced their adamant opposition to a Trump presidency, warning that the former president would only escalate violence in the Middle East.
Apathy and uncertainty ahead
Despite the movement’s success, voter apathy remains. Organizers fear that voters who feel betrayed and disillusioned will stay home on election day.
“Apathy is brewing, and if people stay home, we could see a repeat of 2016,” warns Hammoud.
While some anti-war voters lean toward Harris or even Trump, others are considering third-party candidates like Green Party nominee Jill Stein, who has been very vocal about her opposition to the U.S. handling of the war in Gaza. This has garnered her some support in Michigan’s anti-war and pro-Palestinian circles, though her chances of winning are virtually non-existent.
Movement leaders caution against third-party voting, fearing it could inadvertently aid Trump’s campaign. While Trump has earned some high-profile support from Arab American leaders in Michigan - namely the endorsement of Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib - many more voters remained concerned about Trump's track record while he was president. That includes, maybe especially, Trump's so-called "Muslim Ban," which stopped the admittance of people from several predominantly Muslim countries into the U.S. Biden rescinded Trump's executive order, but there is concern that a second Trump term would mean a renewed or expanded "Muslim Ban".
Looking Forward
Many Arab American "Uncommitted" voters are still torn over how to vote, or whether to vote at all, on election day. There are no perfect answers for them in November. But the Uncommitted Movement gave political hope, structure, and purpose for many voters where previously there had been none. It ensured that anti-war and Muslim American voters in Michigan and beyond would have their voices heard.
Elabed highlighted that the movement isn’t just about this election; it’s about ensuring that these communities are considered and represented.
"One thing the Uncommitted campaign was able to do, especially here in Michigan, where voter apathy is at an all-time high, was provide an option for folks who otherwise would have stayed home," she says. "I really did not know how I was going to [vote] prior to uncommitted."
While the Uncommitted Movement’s impact is undeniable, the outcome of the November election remains uncertain. Regardless, using votes as an organized form of protest is here to stay for many Arab Americans and anti-war voters.
