North Carolina ‘no preference’ votes surpass levels seen in 2016 and 2020

Inspired by the ‘Listen to Michigan’ movement during last week’s primary election, Pro-Palestianan organizers have launched similar campaigns in other states. On Super Tuesday, millions of voters had the opportunity to launch a protest vote and send a message to the White House that they have strong disagreements over the unconditional support that has been extended to Israel as a humanitarian crisis unfolds in Gaza. To date, over thirty thousand people in Gaza have been killed, nearly the entire population has been displaced, and a famine is looming.

‘No preference’ surpasses 12 percent, with 80 percent of votes counted

With 80 percent of the vote counted in North Carolina, 71,034 Democratic voters, representing around 12 percent of Democrats that cast a ballot, selected ‘no preference.’ One of these votes belongs to the former mayor of Carrboro, who took to social media to encourage his followers to select ‘no preference.’

In 2016 and 2020, that figure was 37,485 and 21,808 votes, respectively. In 2012, when President Obama sought re-election, 200,000 voters selected ‘no preference’ of the just over 700,000 votes cast.

While the numbers surpass those seen in the last two recent elections, we still do not know what motivated voters to select ‘no preference’ to do so. Those hoping to push the White House off their current policy position on US support for Israel, even as the population starves to death.

Donald Trump won the state in 2020 by 74,483 votes, and with the electoral map looking tougher for President Biden as he loses support in critical states like Michigan, North Carolina may turn into a must-win state. More ‘no preference’ votes have been cast than the number that President Biden lost by, highlighting the uphill battle the campaign may have in the state.