Coalition asks Rhode Islanders to vote "uncommitted" and send Biden a message

“If you haven't voted already vote ‘uncommitted’ on Tuesday,” said Danya Reda from the Democratic Socialists of America at a State House rally on Saturday.

In the wake of an unprecedented showing in other states, a coalition of Rhode Islanders is turning out voters to cast a ballot for “uncommitted” in the Democratic primary on April 2nd. The Vote Uncommitted Rhode Island coalition, which includes the Rhode Island chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, is demanding that President Joe Biden immediately end all United States support for Israel's massacre in Gaza.

“If you haven't voted already vote ‘uncommitted’ on Tuesday,” said Danya Reda from the Democratic Socialists of America at a State House rally on Saturday. “We say no to genocide. We say no to Joe Biden and the Democratic leadership's commitment to sending bombs, sending money, and running diplomatic cover for the slaughter of civilians.” Around 80 people were in attendance at the rally.

Here's the full video from the rally:

“Vote Uncommitted Rhode Island is a campaign from a broad coalition of Rhode Islanders who have joined together over the last couple of weeks inspired by the tremendous turnout of over a hundred thousand people in Michigan in their primary to vote uncommitted on the Democratic ballot to send a message to President Joe Biden, his administration and democratic leadership,” explained Reda during a press conference ahead of the rally. “We are non-religious, Jewish Americans, Muslim Americans, Arab Americans, and Christian Americans, from across ethnicities and from different political segments on the left - Democrats, liberals, socialists, and progressives.”

According to the Associated Press, “While Biden won the state with more than 618,000 votes, more than 100,000 Michigan Democratic primary voters cast ballots for ‘uncommitted’ in the race, enough to pick up the pair of delegates. The vote totals raise concerns for Democrats in a state Biden won by only 154,000 votes in 2020. Biden was beaten by the ‘uncommitted’ vote in both Dearborn and Hamtramck, where Arab Americans make up close to half the population.”

Rhode Islanders have led the country in demanding a permanent ceasefire, said organizers with Vote Uncommitted Rhode Island. According to the Rhode Island Phone Calls for Palestine group, volunteers have made 1,200 daily calls to federal politicians since the Israeli military's assault. Within the past week, the Vote Uncommitted coalition has texted thousands of Rhode Islanders.