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CONNIE PANZARINO at a pride march in Boston circa 1990

Earlier this week, when I was talking with my girlfriend about the Michigan primary results, she asked me if we could also vote uncommitted in our state’s primary. Since we live in Georgia, I knew that we didn’t have that option, so I told her that it wasn’t possible and that I personally planned to use my ballot to write in Jane Fonda. Then she asked me if that vote would be counted, which made me realize something: I didn’t know if it would. I looked it up, and and after a bit of searching, I learned that the answer was no. As a Georgia voter, I have to either vote for one of the three names on the ballot or a “validated write-in candidate” or my vote will be discarded. My year-old plan to vote for Jane had always been DOA, and I had never known it until that moment. This got me thinking. If I, someone who writes about politics for a living, didn’t know the exact procedures for a protest vote in my primary in my own state, how many prospective uncommitted voters out there actually know what their options are? I presumed that someone out there had published a guide for how to protest vote in each state, but, at least as far as I can tell, such a guide does not exist. To remedy this problem, I decided to create a guide myself. The following is the first ever state-by-state, territory-by-territory cheat sheet for how you can, and cannot, cast a protest vote against this administration in your upcoming Democratic primary.

Category 1: Can Vote Uncommitted

This is the simplest and most straightforward category. In these states and territories, voters are given a Michigan-style uncommitted option on their ballots. These ballots are fully counted in the results like votes for any of the named candidates. If the total uncommitted vote reaches 15% statewide or in a congressional district, it will be awarded delegates.

Although some of these states have additional protest voting options in addition to uncommitted, selecting the uncommitted line is the most direct and straightforward way to register an anti-Biden vote. If available, it should be chosen over all other options, including write-ins, blank ballots, or votes for named candidates like Dean Phillips or Marianne Williamson.

State/territory list:

March 5th: Alabama, Colorado (Called “Noncomitted”), Iowa (Mail-only Caucus), Massachusetts (Called “No Preference”), Minnesota, North Carolina (Called “No Preference”), Tennessee, American Samoa

March 6th: Hawaii

March 12th: Northern Mariana Islands, Washington, Democrats Abroad

March 19th: Kansas

March 23rd: Missouri

April 2nd: Connecticut, Rhode Island, Wisconsin

April 6th: Alaska (Called “Undeclared”)

April 13th: Wyoming (Caucus, Called “Undeclared”)

May 14th: Maryland

May 21st: Kentucky

May 23rd: Idaho (Caucus)

June 4th: Montana (Called “No Preference”), New Jersey, New Mexico

June 8th: Virgin Islands

Category 2: No Uncommitted Option, But Can Vote Write-Ins

Following the set of states and territories that provide straightforward uncommitted option, we reach a small, unique category of primary contests. These states do not provide an uncommitted option, but they do allow for write-in votes, and they take the unique step of tallying every single one of these write-ins in their vote totals. This allows for voters to vote for whoever they want, from Abraham Lincoln to the demiurge, and still see their ballots counted in a broad “write-in” pile of general dissent.

Unlike uncommitted votes, write-in votes will not be able to win delegates as a category—they are only tallied together as a group convenience on election results pages for the sake of convenience. Legally, they all represent votes for entirely different candidates. While it would technically be possible for a write-in candidate to win delegates if they hit the required benchmarks through write-in votes for them, there are currently no efforts to coordinate this. As such, feel free to vote for whoever or whatever you want if you live in these states or territories.

State/territory list:

March 5th: Vermont

May 21st: Oregon

June 4th: Washington, D.C.

Category 3: No Uncommitted Option, Most Write-Ins Not Tallied, But Blank Votes Tallied

Right on the heels of the previous small list with very specific rules is another small list with even more specific rules. Like Category 2, these states do not provide an option to vote uncommitted, but allow for write-ins. Where they differ from the Category 2 states is that they do not count most write-ins in their overall tallies. To save time, only write-in votes for “qualified” write in candidates are considered valid and counted. This means that any write-in vote that says something like “ceasefire,” “uncommitted,” and, yes, “Jane Fonda,” will be discarded.

For most states that do this and don’t provide an uncommitted option, this rules out the possibility of a protest vote beyond voting for the named candidates. These states are the exception, however. Unlike most states, they count blank ballots in their totals. While blank ballots cannot earn delegates, they are counted as a bloc, making them a clear statement of opposition to Biden that avoids providing support for Phillips or Williamson. As such, it is best to send back ballots in these states.

State/territory list:

March 5th: Maine

March 30th: North Dakota (Caucus)

April 2nd: New York

April 28th: Puerto Rico

Category 4: No Uncommitted Option, Most Write-Ins Not Counted, Blank Ballots Not Counted

Category 4 states have easily the most delegates of any section on this list. Unfortunately, they’re also where the options for protest votes become sharply limited. These states have similar rules as Category 3 states. They don’t provide an uncommitted ballot line and don’t tally write-in votes except for those given to qualified write-in candidates. What makes them different from Category 3 states is that they also don’t count blank votes in their tallies.

To register a non-Biden vote in the tallies here, you have to vote for someone pre-approved by the state, whether that be a named candidates on the ballot or a qualified write-in candidate. For most states, this leaves you with Dean Phillips and/or Marianne Williamson if you want your vote to count. Feel free to choose between the two at your own discretion, although you can always vote for another listed candidate or even prick someone from your state’s list of qualified write-in candidates if you really want to avoid voting for either of them.

State/territory list:

March 5th: California (Both Dean and Marianne on ballot), Texas (D and M), Virginia (D and M), Utah (D and M)

March 12th: Georgia (D and M)

March 19th: Arizona (D and M), Illinois (D and M), Ohio (Dean only)

April 23rd: Pennsylvania (Dean only)

May 14th: Nebraska (Dean only), West Virginia (Dean only)

Category 5: No Uncommitted Option, No Write-in Option, Blank Ballots Not Counted

Category 5 is very similar to Category 4, except with one difference. Instead of just making the write-in option functionally useless, these states don’t provide it at all. There’s no way to get around voting for one of the named candidates of you want to cast a protest vote in these states.

State/territory list:

March 5th: Arkansas (D and M), Oklahoma (D and M)

March 12th: Mississippi (No D or M or anyone else. Biden will just get 100% of the vote here. They’re still holding the contest, though.)

March 23rd: Louisiana (D and M)

June 4th: South Dakota (D and M)

June 8th: Guam (Candidate list currently unavailable)

Category 6: No Primary

Here’s the strangest section of them all. These states just cancelled their primaries and handed all of their delegates to Biden. They won’t let you vote against him even if you want to!

State/territory list: Florida and Delaware

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voting 'uncommitted' aka utilizing the protest vote is now one of the key strategies to let the biden administration know exactly what you think of their policies. it doesn't affect your vote in november, but it does very much affect the US policies being enacted on the ground in gaza right now.

think of it as a "fuck you" to joe biden, in the most democratic way possible.

Help get books to people in prison!

Cripple Punk Mag: The community issue, your stories from the scene, is out now. Currently available in my shop, and as a screen reader PDF by request. I'm so proud of this issue I hope you check it out.

Is there a band you’re obsessed with? No matter if its 00s pop-punk, folk music from 1960, a rock band you saw in your friends basement and never forgot- If you’re excited about a musician, I want to hear about it.

The details: What’s a micro essay?

A micro essay an essay around 200-700 words in length. For the purposes of this zine, it can be any format or style, no matter how experimental, as long as its nonfiction.

What can I write about?

This zine is going to focus on bands but is open to works about any musician or musical scene that you feel passionate about

What should I write about?

i’m most interested in looking at how music functions in a broader cultural context, but anything you’re passionate about, I wanna see. This can include but isn’t limited to: - How the sexual politics of a time period affected music - Analysis of how a cover song affects the original piece - Why this band you saw that one time was so rad - How various identity politics and music intersect and interact - Why everyone is wrong about [Insert widely hated album name here] - Why DID that secret chord David played please the lord?

Submissions will be open until June 7th!

You can send plain text and I will lay it out, or if you want to design your own page, including text, illustration, stickers, cut/paste, etc, please make it 5.5in x 8.5in and 300ppi resolution JPG

Please send submissions to [email protected]

Some other rules/FAQs

YES it can be a piece thats already been published as long as you include where it was first published (your blog, another zine, etc)

YES its ok if its a little bit longer or shorter- the word limit is a soft guide, if its 756 words etc thats fine

YES comics are ok as long as they are nonfiction

If you an illustrator who wants to work on illustrating essays, email or dm me!

Contributors will receive a print copy, zine will also be posted online for free, and will be sold at-cost in my shop.

Hello!!!!

In my quest to get people to make more zines I have made 2 print layout templates for Canva (free easy graphic design program)

16 Page Zine

48 Page Zine

These are for print, so you lay out your pages out of order so once the booklet is put together they are in the right order. My brain really struggles with numbers so I find it easier to lay out my pages chronologically, and then copy and paste them over. You can then delete the numbers and divider line on the template. I suggest numbering your pages on your chronological copy both for yourself and your reader. If you are printing on a home printer, print double sided and select short edge binding.

Go forth and make zines!

New zine on local music and accessibility. Read a free PDF or buy it here and check out Winterwolf on Soundcloud or bandcamp.

Image ID: A black and white zine help up in front of a pin board with a logo of 3 wold heads. Text reads: Cripple Punk Mag, accessibility in local music. Interview with Punk afro-surrealists winterwolf. End ID.

Will you love me when I’m buried underneath the ground.

Will you love me with a light forever luminous?

Will you love me when my body is anonymous?

Will you love me when I’m dead?

1. Rosary for Chronic Pain

stage and film portrayals of joan of arc