OPINION | Why I'm Urging South Seattle Democrats to Vote 'Uncommitted Delegates'

by Bailey Medilo

I entered political organizing out of survival, not passion. As a young Brown child of Filipino immigrants living in southeast Seattle and South King County, my lived experience is seeing our leadership and policies fail — forcing my family and our communities further into marginalization, poverty, and continuous struggle.

None of this is unique, but a reality shared by countless young immigrants and children of immigrants across this nation. To address these struggles, young voters and organizers have been at the forefront of progressive victories and the election of Democratic candidates throughout this nation, including President Joe Biden. This activism is driven by a belief in harm reduction and the promise of a better future for our communities — which Biden's 2020 campaign heavily aligned itself with.

During the 2020 presidential elections, I never fully trusted Biden as a candidate and a president. My strongest issues were war and the environment, and I did not see a clear path to either being solved by Biden. But I agreed with my community that the most important objective was to reduce harm — removing Trump from office — and work toward bringing Biden closer to our needs and pressuring him on promises he made to young voters and marginalized communities.

I was cautiously hopeful to see Biden take meaningful action to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and pass transformative gun and infrastructural legislation. However, under Biden, long-term promises of harm reduction and a better future for our communities have ultimately collapsed. The Democratic president has increasingly moved toward the right, especially on immigration — abandoning the progressive coalition of young voters and Communities of Color who got him elected in 2020, in favor of choosing war and profit.

After Oct. 7, the disproportionate and U.S.-backed Israeli response to Hamas has culminated in what experts are calling a genocide. Israel has launched a comprehensive aerial and land offensive in Gaza, one of the most densely populated places on Earth. Over the 150-plus days since Oct. 7, Israel's military has continued to engage in collective punishment of Palestinian civilians, as more than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 70,000 wounded. And only several days ago, Israel engaged in what has been publicly described as the Flour Massacre, where more than 100 Palestinian civilians were killed when Israeli forces fired at an aid convoy.

When Israel's military offensive and subsequent armed occupation of Gaza began, communities in our region began organizing to demand the Biden administration negotiate and support a permanent, lasting cease-fire. I, and countless other young people from South Seattle, joined an intergenerational, interfaith, multiracial movement to demand a cease-fire and an end to the genocide. We are not alone, but in fact joined by a global anti-war movement.

Back when our communities first began organizing for a cease-fire, the Biden administration was not receptive at all — going as far as to describe calls for a cease-fire as disgraceful. While hiding behind congressional resistance for inaction on domestic issues, like reproductive rights, police accountability, and trans and queer liberation, Biden has circumvented Congress to deliver direct military aid to Israel. With the unilateral authority to empower an oppressive force in a conflict with little-to-no oversight or institutional opposition, Biden has been wholly unaccountable to the coalition that got him elected — especially on an issue where a vast majority of Democrats (76%) disagree with him.

However, as of recently, Democratic voters have taken to the polls in states where they can voice dissent against Biden's nomination with the ballot option of "Uncommitted Delegates". So far, 366,851 Democratic voters nationwide have voted "uncommitted" in states that have the option, earning 20 delegates.

Our region has a rich history of racial and class struggle and encompasses one of the largest immigrant and refugee populations in the country. War impacts all of us, along with domestic issues that the Biden administration has failed to address. Our region turns out strongly for Democratic presidents, but years of disinvestment and voter suppression from political stakeholders are causing communities in southeast Seattle and South King County to turn out less, and to lose faith in our government.

As the child of FIlipino immigrants, while filling out my ballot, I think of the geopolitical history that brought my family to South Seattle. I think of forever wars, global conflict, and generational traumas of occupation and ethnic cleansing that are the present realities for many across the globe — including Gaza. I am compelled by overwhelming solidarity, and I refuse to be complicit in a genocide. No to forever wars, and no to U.S.-backed imperialism. When it comes to standing up against injustice, I know South Seattle youth will not be alone — our elders did it first.

In this present moment, our most powerful tool is our democratic voice, and while there's little that can be done to contest Biden as the nominee, what we can do is vote Uncommitted Delegates on our ballot and send out a strong message to the Biden campaign that he is losing support over his decision to abandon the values of the coalition that got him elected.

Now is our moment to democratically voice our dissent to a failing administration and signal to Biden that our issues matter. Vote Uncommitted Delegates today.

The South Seattle Emerald is committed to holding space for a variety of viewpoints within our community, with the understanding that differing perspectives do not negate mutual respect amongst community members.

The opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints expressed by the contributors on this website do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints of the Emerald or official policies of the Emerald.

📸 Featured Image: As Washington state Democrats head to the polls, many are considering a vote for "Uncommitted Delegates" to express their stance on current administration policies and global issues. (Photo: Megan Christy)