ATLANTA — Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify the names of the organizations listed behind the effort.
A coalition in Georgia is encouraging Democratic primary voters to abstain from voting for President Joe Biden as a form of protest against his administration's handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The "Listen to Georgia" coalition has been using social media platforms for weeks, urging voters to leave their ballots blank. The organizations behind the effort are Georgia Muslim Action Committee, the Peach State, Muslim Coalition, Voices of Muslims, CAIR Action, Jewish Voice for Peace Action other endorsers include the Georgia Youth Justice Coalition Action, New Disabled South Rising, and the U.S. Palestinian Council.
According to Azka Mahmood with CAIR Action Georgia, the intention is to signal dissatisfaction with President Biden's stance on the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
"It's a protest vote that sends him a strong signal to stop his support for Israel," Mahmood stated.
Drawing inspiration from a similar initiative in Michigan where voters were urged to vote "uncommitted," the Georgia movement adopted a strategy of leaving ballots blank since that's not an option on Georgia's ballots.
According to the Associated Press, Biden won the Michigan Democratic Primary with more than 618,000 votes. But more than 100,000 Democratic primary voters cast ballots for "uncommitted."
"People are sick and tired of American spending overseas when we have a lot of issues to address domestically," Mahmood added.
Calls for a permanent ceasefire have gained momentum, culminating in a recent interruption of President Biden's speech in Atlanta by a demonstrator, who exclaimed, "What are you gonna do, Genocide Joe?" before being escorted about the event by security.
Despite concerns about the movement affecting Biden's momentum in securing the Democratic Party's nomination, Rashmi Singh, a self-identifying Democrat, expressed skepticism, stating, "They already know of it and aware of it and working to let everyone know that they are trying to find a solution that would work for everyone."
Representative Nikema Williams released the following statement regarding the "Leave It Blank Initiative:
"President Biden has expressed concerns over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and continues to negotiate a longterm ceasefire to bring stability to the region. Elections are about choices. Voters have a right to use their voices with the primary ballot to highlight issues that matter most to them. We all know there’s a lot of time between now and November. What happens on March 12th is not a direct indicator of what will happen in November. Georgia Democrats have been counted out before and we will continue to show up in every corner of every county reminding voters of how Democrats have delivered for Georgians over the last 3 years under the leadership of the Biden Harris administration."
