New Coalition Pledges to Get out Vote
for “No Preference” on Super Tuesday in MA
Send Message to Biden for Immediate Gaza Ceasefire
Boston, MA - In the wake of an unprecedented showing in Michigan, where 100,000 people voted “Uncommitted,” to signal to President Biden that his unwavering support for genocide would threaten his chances at re-election, a growing coalition of over 10 organizations have founded a “Vote No Preference” campaign in Massachusetts.
The interfaith coalition includes members from the Muslim and Jewish communities, as well as over 10 organizations with experience doing voter turnout across the state. They will hold a virtual press conference on Monday, March 4 at 10AM EST, to call on Massachusetts voters to vote “No Preference” on Super Tuesday, March 5 to tell Biden: “Count us out for genocide!” and urge him to support an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza. Merrie Najimy, one of the organizers, will also speak at a rally tomorrow, Saturday, March 2 at 1PM in front of Cambridge City Hall.
Link below to register for the press conference: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_boogTbwXTJSszkr6KEIWsQ
The burgeoning coalition will distribute hundreds of signs and thousands of flyers and stickers across the state over the weekend, planning statewide phone banks, plus a social media campaign, using #VoteNoPreferenceMa, following Michigan’s example. The coalition includes multiple local mushrooming peace groups based in cities across the Commonwealth, Massachusetts Peace Action, the Massachusetts Muslims for Justice, which has 1000 members who have been phonebanking Congressional Reps daily for ceasefire since fall 2023. The group also includes the Boston Shai House, an organizing network of Massachusetts Arab and Muslim voters, born of the strong support for Senator Sanders in Michigan in 2016. In 2020, Boston Shai house efforts turned out the MA Arab/Muslim vote for Sanders, by a wide margin (58.2% for Sanders to 26.5% for Biden). Sanders has consistently called for US aid to Israel to be contingent on compliance with international law, a position which over half of US voters support.
“Israel’s horrifying massacre of over 100 Palestinians waiting for food aid yesterday, makes it clear that Biden has no red lines. He keeps saying he is pushing to protect civilians while vetoing 3 UN ceasefire votes, bypassing Congress to send millions of dollars in weapons for Israel’s war crimes, and cutting off UNRWA funding, the only humanitarian organization able to provide and distribute humanitarian assistance on the ground. The current threat of famine is directly linked to Biden Administration policies and choices.” said Danya Reda, Assistant Professor of Political Science at UMass Boston and member of the Boston Shai House. “We aren’t fooled, Biden. Voting ‘No Preference’ is one way that Massachusetts voters can send the message that we will not continue to vote for blank checks for war crimes.”
Democratic voters find the Democratic Party less and less reflects its constituents and saw the elections as a meaningful opportunity to send a message.
“Biden and the Democrats have been taking our votes for granted for too long,” said Humayun Morshed, Muslim Community Organizer, Greater Boston. “For four months our elected officials have been sending our tax dollars to kill children without our consent. That’s why we are calling on people in the Muslim community and across Massachusetts to vote “No Preference” on Tuesday.”
“Repeated polls show that two out of three Americans support a ceasefire in Gaza,” said Mia Haddad, an organizer for Somerville for Palestine, and a local healthcare worker. “Young people like me see clearly that Biden and the Dems are pursuing policies that have left our generation behind. We will be voting: No Preference on March 5.”
The organizers announced a coordinated campaign in mosques and community groups around the state to get out the vote and teach constituents to fill in the “No Preference” bubble on their ballot for the Democratic Presidential Primary. Although Massachusetts is not a swing state, organizers say that should make it feel even safer for voters to use their vote to make a statement to Biden: “Count us out for genocide.”
If a candidate (or Uncommitted) receives 15% of the vote in a primary, and at least 15% in one Congressional District, then delegates to the DNC Convention can be awarded to the candidate - or will not be committed to vote for Biden, in the case of “Uncommitted,” or “No Preference.”
"Biden and his government have sent billions of our tax dollars for Israel's brutal conquest of Gaza and the West Bank; and he has already vetoed 3 ceasefire votes in the UN. We as healthcare workers cannot look away as Biden spends our tax dollars on genocide,” said Aparna Nair-Kanneganti, a medical student at Harvard. “Massachusetts healthcare workers have been protesting for months, and like the 80% of Democrats who have supported a ceasefire since October, we are angry that our elected officials are ignoring us. On March 5, I have no choice, but to vote “NO PREFERENCE” for the DNC Nominee. Count us out for genocide."
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