Many Brooklyn and Queens voters cast blank ballots in protest of U.S. government support for the war in Gaza in the 2024 presidential primary, according to The City.
The blank-ballot protest of former President Joe Biden garnered the most support in northern Brooklyn and western Queens, according to the 2024 annual report on city voters from the Campaign Finance Board.
The results show that anywhere between 42% and 70% of Democratic voters in Long Island City, Astoria, Greenpoint, Williamsburg, Bushwick, and in parts of Park Slope and Flatbush cast blank ballots in the April 2, 2024 presidential primary, the news agency reported.
The tally was driven largely by the “Leave It Blank” campaign, a protest with roots in the national “Uncommitted” movement that urged Democratic primary voters to cast blank ballots as an objection to the Biden administration’s support of Israel and support a ceasefire in Gaza, the news site said.
That primary was also notable for its abysmal turnout. Only 228,000 eligible city voters overall cast ballots in the presidential primary election, out of the 3.4 million who were eligible to vote. Turnout was slightly higher for the Congressional primary in June at 10.1%; in the November general election, 60% of registered voters showed up to the polls.
The CFB issued several recommendations to boost turnout, including combating voter fatigue by reducing the number of elections in any given year. As it has previously, the CFB recommends combining primary elections and aligning odd-year city elections with even-year state and federal elections. In 2024 alone, New Yorkers cast ballots in five elections: two primaries, one general election and two special elections.
