Voting option in US presidential primaries
"Uncommitted " is a voting option in some
United States presidential primaries . This option is listed along with the names of individuals running for the position and is often described as "
none of the above ".
[1] Depending on state and party thresholds, voting uncommitted may allow states to send uncommitted
delegates to a party's
nominating convention .
[2]
Process
In the United States, voting in a presidential primary instructs party delegates who to vote for in the nominating convention. By voting uncommitted, you simply do not give an instruction to your delegates.
[3] Under
Democratic National Committee rules, uncommitted receives delegates if the option receives more than 15% of the statewide vote or more than 15% of the vote in a congressional district.
[4] Under
Republican National Committee rules, the local rules of state Republican parties decides how and if uncommitted receives delegates.
[5]
Notable campaigns
1984: Hawaii
After only
Walter Mondale and
Jesse Jackson made the ballot for the Hawaii Democratic caucus in 1984, Presidential candidate
Gary Hart and Hawaii governor
George Ariyoshi urged voters to vote uncommitted.
[6] Uncommitted ended up winning the caucus with 63.5% of the vote, receiving 14 delegates. Mondale received 32.3% of the vote and 5 delegates. Jackson received 4.2% of the vote.
[7]
2008: Michigan
Federal Democratic Party rules prohibit any state, except for Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina from holding its primary before February 5, or
Super Tuesday . In October 2007, the divided
Michigan Legislature passed a bill to move the date of the state's presidential primaries to January 15 in an effort to increase the state's influence in the presidential candidate nominating process.
[8] On October 9, 2007, following Michigan's breach of DNC rules,
Barack Obama ,
Bill Richardson ,
Joe Biden , and
John Edwards withdrew from the Michigan Democratic Primary ballot.
[9]
Dennis Kucinich unsuccessfully sought to remove his name from the ballot.
[10]
Hillary Clinton and
Christopher Dodd decided to remain on the ballot.
[11]
On December 10, 2007, the
Michigan Democratic Party issued a press release stating that the primary would be held on January 15, 2008. The press release also urged supporters of Biden, Edwards, Obama and Richardson to vote "uncommitted" instead of writing in their preferred candidates' names.
[12]
In the end, Hillary Clinton received 54.61% of the vote (328,309 votes), uncommitted received 39.61% of the vote (238,168 votes), while other candidates received 5.78% of the vote (34,742 votes).
[13]
2024: Michigan, Minnesota, and Washington
During the
2024 Michigan Democratic presidential primary ,
2024 Minnesota Democratic presidential primary and
2024 Washington Democratic presidential primary , numerous activists and elected officials, including Dearborn Mayor
Abdullah Hammoud and House Representative
Rashida Tlaib ,
campaigned for voters to select the uncommitted option in protest of Biden's handling of the
Israel–Hamas war .
[14]
[15] Some
Armenian Americans also suggested voting uncommitted over Biden's actions involving the
2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh .
[16] In Washington, the state's largest labor union, the
United Food and Commercial Workers , endorsed uncommitted.
[17]
In response, the advocacy group
Democratic Majority for Israel ran ads arguing that voting "uncommitted" would weaken Biden and support
Donald Trump .
[18] Michigan governor
Gretchen Whitmer stated that although she acknowledges the "pain" people feel about the war, she still encouraged people to vote for Biden because "any vote that's not cast for Joe Biden supports a second Trump term".
[19]
In the end, in Michigan, Joe Biden received 81.1% of the vote (618,426 votes), uncommitted received 13.3% of the vote (101,100 votes), while other candidates received 5.7% of the vote (43,171 votes).
[20] The uncommitted share exceeded that against
Barack Obama in
2012 , the most recent prior re-election campaign of a Democratic president (though in 2012 it was a
caucus rather than a primary).
[21] In Minnesota, uncommitted received an even larger share of the vote, at 18.9%, while Biden was cut short to 70.6%.
[22]
Notable results since 2008
The following lists presidential primaries since 2008 where uncommitted received more than 5% of the popular vote:
2008
2012
Primary
Primary winner
Votes
Percentage of popular vote
Uncommitted Delegates
Reference
Michigan Democratic primary
Barack Obama
20,833
10.69%
20
[27]
Massachusetts Democratic primary
16,075
10.87%
26
[28]
[29]
Tennessee Democratic primary
10,497
11.51%
9
[30]
Alabama Democratic primary
45,613
15.91%
8
[31]
Maryland Democratic primary
37,704
11.55%
3
[32]
Rhode Island Democratic primary
1,133
13.98%
8
[33]
North Carolina Democratic primary
200,810
20.77%
43
[34]
Kentucky Democratic primary
86,925
42.15%
34
[35]
Montana Democratic primary
8,306
9.46%
7
[36]
U.S. Virgin Islands Republican caucus
Ron Paul
132
33.85%
0
[37]
North Carolina Republican primary
Mitt Romney
50,928
5.23%
0
[38]
Kentucky Republican primary
10,357
5.88%
0
[39]
South Dakota Republican primary
2,797
5.43%
0
[40]
2016
2020
2024
Primary
Primary winner
Votes
Percentage of popular vote
Uncommitted Delegates
Reference
Nevada Republican primary
Nikki Haley
50,763
63.30%
0
[49]
Kansas Republican primary
Donald Trump
4,886
5.2%
0
[50]
Nevada Democratic primary
Joe Biden
7,448
5.81%
0
[51]
Michigan Democratic primary
101,436
13.21%
2
[52]
Alabama Democratic primary
11,213
6%
0
[53]
Colorado Democratic primary
43,439
8.1%
0
[54]
Massachusetts Democratic primary
58,462
9.4%
1
[55]
Minnesota Democratic primary
45,913
18.9%
11
[56]
North Carolina Democratic primary
88,021
12.7%
0
[57]
Tennessee Democratic primary
10,464
7.9%
0
[58]
Hawaii Democratic caucuses
455
29.1%
7
[59]
Democrats Abroad primary
1,136
13.2%
0
[60]
Washington Democratic primary
89,753
9.8%
2
[61]
Kansas Democratic primary
4,286
10.3%
0
[62]
Missouri Democratic primary
2,229
11.7%
3
[63]
Connecticut Democratic primary
7,492
11.5%
0
[64]
Rhode Island Democratic primary
3,732
14.9%
1
[65]
Wisconsin Democratic primary
48,162
8.3%
0
[66]
Presidential nominating contests with uncommitted options
As of 2024, the following jurisdictions have uncommitted presidential nominating contest voting options:
Alabama
[67]
American Samoa
[68]
Colorado (Democratic primary only, as Noncommitted Delegate )
[69]
Democrats Abroad (Democratic primary only)
[70]
Connecticut
[71]
Hawaii (Democratic caucuses only)
[72]
Idaho (Democratic caucuses only)
[73]
Iowa (Democratic party-run primary only)
[74]
Kansas (as None of the names shown )
[75]
Kentucky
[76]
Maryland
[71]
Massachusetts (as No Preference )
[77]
Michigan
[71]
Minnesota (Democratic primary only)
[78]
Missouri
[79]
Montana (as No Preference )
[80]
Nevada (as
None of these candidates )
[81]
New Jersey (Democratic primary only)
[82]
New Mexico (as Uncommitted delegate )
[83]
North Carolina (as No Preference )
[71]
Rhode Island
[84]
Tennessee
[85]
Texas (Republican primary only)
[86]
U.S. Virgin Islands
[71]
Washington (Democratic primary only)
[87]
Wisconsin (as Uninstructed Delegation )
[88]
Wyoming (as Undeclared )
[71]
See also
References
^ Ables, Kelsey; Jeong, Andrew (February 28, 2024).
"Over 100,000 Michigan primary votes were 'uncommitted.' What does that mean?" . The Washington Post . Retrieved February 28, 2024 .
^ Cullen, Margie (February 27, 2024).
"What does 'uncommitted' mean in the Michigan primary?" . USA Today . Retrieved February 28, 2024 .
^ Parr, Jackson (April 1, 2016).
"Cast Your Vote: What to Know for April 5 Election" . Door Country Pulse . Retrieved February 28, 2024 .
^ Yoon, Robert; Ohlemacher, Stephen (February 28, 2024).
"How 'uncommitted' won two delegates in Michigan's Democratic primary" . KIRO . Retrieved February 28, 2024 – via The AP.
^ Opiela, Eric.
"Texas Delegate Selection Process to Republican National Convention" (PDF) . Texas GOP . Retrieved February 28, 2024 .
^ Kresnak, William (March 14, 1984).
"Campaign '84: Mondale has edge as Hawaii heads for 'Super Tuesday' presidential caucuses" . UPI . Retrieved March 9, 2024 .
^
"Hawaii Democrats voted in caucuses by more than a 2-1 ratio to send most of their 27 delegates to the Democratic National Convention uncommitted to any candidate" . UPI . March 14, 1984. Retrieved March 21, 2024 .
^
Barrett, Wayne (April 1, 2008).
"Could the Republicans Pick the Democratic Nominee? — The Untold Story of How the GOP Rigged Florida and Michigan" .
The Huffington Post .
Archived from the original on June 7, 2008. Retrieved June 3, 2008 – via
Common Dreams .
^
"Four Candidates Withdraw from Michigan Primary Ballot" (Press release). Michigan Department of State. October 9, 2007. Archived from
the original on January 16, 2008. Retrieved January 10, 2008 .
^ Gorchow, Zachary (January 3, 2008).
"Kucinich says he'll come to Michigan after all" .
Detroit Free Press . Archived from
the original on November 9, 2013. Retrieved January 14, 2008 .
^ Barks Hoffman, Kathy (October 10, 2007).
"Clinton In, 5 Dems Out of Mich. Primary" .
Guardian Unlimited . London.
Associated Press . Retrieved January 14, 2008 . [
dead link ]
^
"MDP Releases Voter Guide To Help Voters Understand Presidential Primary" (Press release). Michigan Democratic Party. December 10, 2007. Archived from
the original on January 15, 2008. Retrieved January 10, 2008 .
^
"Michigan Primary Election Results - Election Guide 2008 - Results - The New York Times" . archive.nytimes.com . Retrieved February 28, 2024 .
^ Shalal, Andrea (February 6, 2024).
"Michigan Democrats, organizers urge 'uncommitted' vote in Feb. 27 primary" .
Reuters . Retrieved February 7, 2024 .
^ Epstein, Reid (February 6, 2024).
"Group in Michigan Urges Protest Vote Against Biden Over Israel-Gaza War" .
New York Times . Retrieved February 7, 2024 .
^ Hatsakordzian, Dzovinar (February 20, 2024).
"Why I'm Voting "Uncommitted" in Michigan's Democratic Primary" .
Armenian Weekly . Retrieved February 21, 2024 .
^ Seitz-Wald, Alex (February 29, 2024).
"Washington state's largest labor union endorses 'uncommitted' over Biden" . NBC News . Retrieved February 29, 2024 .
^ Lacy, Akela; Thakker, Prem (February 23, 2024).
"AIPAC Ally Slams "Uncommitted" Voters Warning Biden to Change Course on Gaza" .
The Intercept . Retrieved February 27, 2024 .
^ Concepcion, Summer (February 26, 2024).
"Michigan Democrats express skepticism about how their primary will play out amid anti-Biden push over Israel-Hamas war" .
NBC News . Retrieved February 27, 2024 .
^
"Michigan Democratic Primary Election Results" .
The New York Times . February 27, 2024. Retrieved February 27, 2024 .
^ Bailey, Phillip M.
"Joe Biden faces toughest opponent yet — 'uncommitted' in Michigan primary: 5 takeaways" . USA Today . Retrieved February 29, 2024 .
^ Simon, Steve (March 6, 2024).
"Unofficial Results Tuesday, March 5, 2024" . OFFICE OF THE MINNESOTA SECRETARY OF STATE STEVE SIMON .
^
"Michigan Primary Election Results - Election Guide 2008 - Results - The New York Times" . archive.nytimes.com . Retrieved February 28, 2024 .
^
"Virgin Islands Territorial Meeting Results - Election Guide 2008 - Results - The New York Times" . www.nytimes.com . Retrieved September 9, 2022 .
^
"Kentucky Republican" . www.thegreenpapers.com . The Green Papers. Retrieved March 3, 2024 .
^
Election Center 2008: Primary Results for Idaho
^
"2012 Official Michigan Presidential Primary Election Results - President of the United States 4 Year Term (1) Position" . Archived from
the original on May 2, 2012. Retrieved May 7, 2012 .
^
"PD43+ » 2012 President Democratic Primary" . PD43+ . Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved March 6, 2020 .
^
"Massachusetts Democratic Delegation 2012" . www.thegreenpapers.com . The Green Papers. Retrieved March 6, 2020 .
^
"State of Tennessee Democratic presidential primary" (PDF) . Archived from
the original (PDF) on February 12, 2017. Retrieved September 17, 2016 .
^ Kennedy, H. Mark (April 6, 2012).
"Democratic Party Primary Results Recertification" (PDF) . Secretary of State of Alabama . Retrieved September 1, 2020 .
^
"Maryland Democrat" . The Green Papers. Retrieved March 3, 2024 .
^
"Rhode Island Democrat" . The Green Papers. Retrieved November 14, 2012 .
^
"NC - Election Results" . results.enr.clarityelections.com . Retrieved September 18, 2016 .
^
"Kentucky Secretary of State" (PDF) . elect.ky.gov . May 22, 2012. Retrieved June 19, 2016 .
^
"Montana Democrat" . The Green Papers. Retrieved March 3, 2024 .
^ Schoenbohm, Herb (March 10, 2012).
"U.S. Virgin Islands - Official GOP" . Vigop.com. Retrieved July 19, 2012 .
^
"North Carolina Republican" . The Green Papers. Retrieved November 14, 2012 .
^
http://elect.ky.gov/SiteCollectionDocuments/Election%20Results/2010-2019/2012/2012offpriresults.pdf [
bare URL PDF ]
^
"Secretary of State - Statewide Races" . Electionresults.sd.gov. Retrieved July 19, 2012 .
^
"U.S. Virgin Islands | Decision Desk HQ" . Archived from
the original on March 30, 2016. Retrieved March 26, 2016 .
^
The Green Papers
^
Kentucky Secretary of State
^
"Official 2020 PRIMARY ELECTION Results" (PDF) . Commonwealth of Kentucky Secretary of State. Retrieved October 13, 2020 .
^
The Green Papers Montana 2020
^
The Green Papers New Mexico 2020
^
The Green Papers Kentucky 2020
^
"Connecticut Presidential Republican Primary Election Results" . The New York Times . August 11, 2020.
ISSN
0362-4331 . Retrieved April 26, 2021 .
^ Korecki, Natasha (February 6, 2024).
"Nikki Haley loses to 'none of these candidates' in the Nevada GOP primary" . NBC News . Retrieved February 7, 2024 .
^
"Kansas Republican Primary Election Results" . New York Times . March 19, 2024.
^
"Nevada Democrat Presidential Nominating Process" . thegreenpapers.com . Retrieved March 3, 2023 .
^
"Michigan Democratic Primary Election Results" .
The New York Times . February 28, 2024. Retrieved February 28, 2024 .
^
"Alabama Democratic Primary Election Results" .
The New York Times . March 5, 2024.
^
"Colorado Democratic Primary Election Results" .
The New York Times . March 5, 2024.
^
"Massachusetts Democratic Primary Election Results" .
The New York Times . March 5, 2024.
^
"Minnesota Democratic Primary Election Results" .
The New York Times . March 5, 2024.
^
"North Carolina Democratic Primary Election Results" .
The New York Times . March 5, 2024.
^
"Tennessee Democratic Primary Election Results" .
The New York Times . March 5, 2024.
^
"Hawaii Democratic Primary Election Results" .
The New York Times . March 7, 2024.
^
"Democratic Presidential Primaries: Democrats Abroad" . CNN . Retrieved March 19, 2024 .
^
"March 12, 2024 Presidential Primary Results" . Washington Secretary of State. March 23, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2024 .
^
"Kansas Democratic Primary Election Results" . New York Times . March 19, 2024.
^
"Missouri Presidential Primary" . The AP. Retrieved March 22, 2024 .
^
"Connecticut Presidential Primary" . The AP. Retrieved April 1, 2024 .
^
"Rhode Island Presidential Primary" . The AP. Retrieved April 1, 2024 .
^
"Wisconsin Presidential Primary" . The AP. Retrieved April 1, 2024 .
^
"2024 Primary Election Sample Ballots" .
Alabama Secretary of State . Retrieved February 28, 2024 .
^
"AMERICAN SAMOA DELEGATE SELECTION PLAN" (PDF) . American Samoa Dems . Retrieved February 28, 2024 .
^
"2024 Presidential Primary Candidate List" .
Colorado Secretary of State . Retrieved February 28, 2024 .
^
"Democrats Abroad Democratic Delegation 2024" . The Green Papers . Retrieved March 7, 2024 .
^
a
b
c
d
e
f Mancini, Ryan (March 5, 2024).
"What states can you vote 'uncommitted' or 'no preference' in the 2024 primaries?" . MassLive . Retrieved March 7, 2024 .
^
"Hawaii Democratic Delegation 2024" . The Green Papers . Retrieved March 7, 2024 .
^
"Idaho Democratic Delegation 2024" . The Green Papers . Retrieved March 7, 2024 .
^ Gruber-Miller, Stephen (December 2, 2023).
"Iowa Democrats put 3 presidential candidates' names on mail-in caucus cards. Who's named" .
Yahoo! News . Retrieved February 28, 2024 – via
The Des Moines Register .
^
"Eight Candidates File for the Kansas Presidential Preference Primary" . Kansas Secretary of State. Retrieved March 7, 2024 .
^
"KENTUCKY DELEGATE SELECTION PLAN" (PDF) . KY Democrats . Retrieved February 28, 2024 .
^ Cole, Katie; Creamer, Lisa; DeCosta-Klipa, Nik (February 26, 2024).
"Voter guide: Super Tuesday primary elections in Massachusetts" .
WBUR . Retrieved February 28, 2024 .
^ Bakst, Brian (February 27, 2024).
"Minnesota is part of Super Tuesday voting. Here's how to cast a ballot" . MPR News . Retrieved February 28, 2024 .
^
"MISSOURI DELEGATE SELECTION PLAN FOR THE 2024 DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION" (PDF) . Missouri Democrats . Retrieved February 28, 2024 .
^
"Montana Democrats Adopt 2024 Presidential Delegate Selection Plan" . Montana Democrats . May 4, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2024 .
^
"Nevada Democratic Delegation 2024" . The Green Papers . Retrieved March 7, 2024 .
^
"Proposed 2024 Delegate Selection Plan" . New Jersey Democrats . Retrieved February 28, 2024 .
^
"Governing Documents" . New Mexico Democrats . Retrieved February 28, 2024 .
^
"Rhode Island DELEGATE SELECTION PLAN" (PDF) .
Rhode Island Secretary of State . Retrieved February 28, 2024 .
^
"Tennessee DELEGATE SELECTION PLAN" (PDF) . Tennessee Democrats . Retrieved February 28, 2024 .
^
"Texas Republican Delegation 2024" . The Green Papers . Retrieved March 7, 2024 .
^
"Washington DELEGATE SELECTION PLAN" (PDF) . Washington Democrats . Retrieved February 28, 2024 .
^
"Wisconsin DELEGATE SELECTION PLAN" (PDF) . Washington Democrats . Retrieved February 28, 2024 .