The Stranger: Why I voted Uncommitted Delegates

By Nilu Jenks

When Donald Trump got elected in 2016, I sank into despair. But then a friend shared with me a nugget of wisdom from the great Reverend Desmond Tutu: “Fear makes us lie down, and hope makes us stand up.”

…As an Iranian-American, I understand the waves of fear going through our nation because I know I will be on the front lines of those impacted by his hateful views. Religious or not, the Muslim ban applied to my family, and I know these are the issues we will face again. I certainly will not be supporting Trump.

…Like so many, I was horrified by the White House’s 100-day statement, which didn’t even mention Palestinians, the three UN vetoes against ceasefire resolutions, and Biden going around Congress twice to send arms and funds to Israel. No nod toward the vast majority of Democrats who want a ceasefire? February polling from Data for Progress showed that 77% of Democratic voters support a ceasefire, and 67% of all voters do. Is this how democracy is meant to work? Am I to quietly support these actions and call that hope, simply because I am afraid of Trump? 

No.

We have marched, we have called our representatives, we have confronted them in public, and we have made our views loudly known. Now is not the time to lie down in fear. Organizers, rooted in a politics of hope, have highlighted a path in Washington State that makes our views even more loudly known: We can vote for “Uncommitted Delegates” in the Democratic Party primary.

Without a change in tone and policy, Biden risks becoming a one-term president simply because he couldn’t be responsive to the overwhelming demands of the American people.

…As someone who works on democracy reform, specifically on ranked-choice voting, I am disappointed to see people shaming their fellow voters for coming out in support of the uncommitted option, especially after historically low voter turnout last year. Instead of yelling at people about Trump’s threat to democracy, we should be celebrating and encouraging their participation in our democratic process, applauding them for expressing their views via their votes, and putting pressure on President Biden to better reflect those views.

For my part, I believe that voting “Uncommitted Delegates” is an effective way to ask Biden to listen to the majority of the American people who want a ceasefire and to potentially save his Presidency in the process. I invite others like me to lean into the belief that war is not the path to peace. We have the right to demand change, and we risk losing our democracy if we let that go. I know I refuse to lie down in fear, and I hope you will join me in hoping for a better tomorrow by voting “Uncommitted Delegates” in the upcoming Democratic Primary.