Critics of President Biden’s stance on the Gaza conflict allege that approximately 12% of Democratic voters in New York expressed their protest by submitting blank ballots in the state’s presidential primary.
Biden
While the state Board of Elections did not provide specific data on blank ballot counts for the presidential race, the Working Families Party (WFP) claims to have estimated the figures by analyzing delegate vote totals released by the board for each congressional district.
Ana Maria Archila, a co-director of the WFP, emphasized, “What we know is that about 12% of New York voters sent a very powerful message to President Biden. They want him to take a very different position on this war.”
Although a spokeswoman for the state Board of Elections neither confirmed nor denied the WFP’s calculations, she acknowledged that unofficial delegate vote tallies could offer insights into primary voter turnout.
In New York City, the WFP noted a slightly higher proportion of approximately 15% of voters submitting blank ballots compared to the statewide average.
The district of Rep. Nydia Velazquez recorded the highest percentage of blank ballots, with 31% of voters abstaining from supporting Biden. Similarly, districts represented by Reps. Yvette Clarke and Dan Goldman also reported significant percentages of blank ballots.
Archila expressed surprise and satisfaction at the substantial response to the call for protest, considering that New York voters typically do not submit blank ballots.
President Biden secured a commanding victory in the primary, garnering about 91.5% of the ballots that included a presidential pick, surpassing contenders Marianne Williamson and Rep. Dean Phillips.
According to the WFP’s calculations, approximately 40,000 New York voters opted for blank ballots statewide. These figures align with similar protest vote tallies seen in neighboring states like Connecticut.
While New York officials do not immediately release total ballot counts or blank ballot figures, the WFP derived its estimates by subtracting votes for Biden, Williamson, and Phillips from the total number of ballots cast for delegates to the national convention.
