Only one high-profile presidential candidate will appear on the ballot in the Michigan primary on Tuesday: Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York.

What’s at stake? Not much. Zero delegates.

"Clinton gets nothing out of this process," one Democratic strategist told BlackAmericaWeb.com. "The Michigan primary for Democrats is completely irrelevant."

Five Democratic candidates withdrew from Michigan's presidential primary, leaving what amounts to an easy primary for Clinton. Barack Obama and John Edwards, Dennis Kucinich and former candidate Joe Biden filed paperwork to withdraw their names from the ballot.

A newly formed group called Detroiters for Uncommitted Voters has started a phone and door-to-door campaign to get people backing the missing candidates to vote "uncommitted."

The Obama campaign is also hoping its supporters will vote "uncommitted" in the Michigan primary, although an Obama campaign aide told BlackAmericaWeb.com they are not campaigning in Michigan and have nothing to do with the vote "uncommitted" movement.

Although Michigan is a critical Midwest state in presidential voting, it violated Democratic National Committee rules in moving its primary earlier in the process. Most of the candidates are honoring the DNC's wishes in skipping the contest.

Clinton broke with the leading candidates, with her campaign issuing a statement saying the New York senator will remain on the ballot. But aides to the Democratic National Committee confirmed Friday that Michigan has been "stripped" of all its delegates.

Peter C. Groff, a Colorado state senator, publisher of Blackpolicy.org and executive director of the Center for African American Policy at the University of Denver, said Michigan voters -- and black voters in particular -- were ultimately disenfranchised because officials "drank the Kool-Aid" in a dysfunctional primary system.

"It's unfortunate that residents can't participate in such a historic primary that can very likely lead us into the nation's most historic general presidential election," Groff told BlackAmericaWeb.com. "But, since they wanted to engage in a state pride-measuring contest, voters end up losing, especially black voters who may be excited about the prospect of Obama winning the nomination."

"But, do Democratic candidates end up losing, as well, especially if they choose to remove themselves from the ballot?" Groff asked. "One can make the argument that candidate participation or non-participation in that state could provide a symbolic result, particularly making an impression on the state's African-American voters."

"But, the bottom line is that these delegates aren't being counted," he added. "Still, even without Michigan delegates in the primary at the moment, the eventual nominee should make every effort to court those delegates for the convention in August. Michigan is still considered a competitive battleground state."

All the Democratic candidates agreed not to campaign in Michigan because it broke Democratic National Committee rules when it moved its primary ahead of Feb. 5 (Florida also moved its primary to Jan. 29 without approval, and the DNC also stripped Florida of its delegates.). Party rules say states cannot hold their 2008 primary contests before Feb. 5, except for Iowa on Jan. 14, Nevada on Jan. 19 and South Carolina on Jan. 26.

The calendar was designed to preserve the traditional role that Iowa and New Hampshire have played in selecting the nominee, while adding two states with more racial and geographic diversity to influential early slots.

"The reason we added South Carolina to the early nominating process is to insure that African-American voters have a voice in the nomination process and to insure that we have the strongest possible nominee," Damien LaVera, a spokesman for the Democratic National Committee, told BlackAmericaWeb.com.

A Michigan poll of 300 likely Democratic voters revealed that 47 percent would support Clinton and 28 percent would vote "uncommitted."

"The way the system is currently set up is inherently unfair," Michigan Rep. John Conyers told BlackAmericaWeb.com. "We are not going to just sit back and take this. I strongly encourage everyone in Michigan to go the polls. If your candidate’s name is not on the ballot, vote 'uncommitted.'"

Groff said there are reports that contingents of Obama and Edwards campaign operatives are instigating an 'uncommitted' campaign in that state as a way to offset votes for Clinton and ultimately embarrass her.

"This appears a bit miscalculated," Groff said. "First, both campaigns have to accept the fact that they chose not to be on the ballot; they took a pledge not to campaign in Michigan."

"Additionally," he added, "as the primary schedule becomes more caustic, the battle for funding more heated and the need to accumulate delegates in very critical states more critical, the last thing either campaign should focus on is the shifting of essential campaign resources in a state that won't be counted."

"Still," he said, "there may have been a last-minute realization of the fact that there is a possibility that Michigan delegates could go the convention if 'uncommitted' ballots account for at least 15 percent of the votes in a district."

Meanwhile, Conyers and his wife, Monica Conyers, a Detroit city councilwoman, began running radio ads urging people to vote "uncommitted." Both Democrats are supporting Obama.

Here is the radio script airing on radio stations in Michigan:

MALE: The presidential election is confusing. I want to vote for Barack Obama, but Obama's name is not on the ballot.

FEMALE: There is no one on that ballot I want to be president.

MALE: Well, these folks can help us. Excuse me, Congressman Conyers and Councilwoman Conyers, we need your help.

FEMALE: How can we vote for Obama on Tuesday?

REP. CONYERS: You can't. You cannot even write in Obama's name. If you do, your vote will not count because Obama's campaign chose not to place his name on the Michigan ballot so as not to violate national Democratic Party rules. But you can vote "uncommitted."

COUNCILWOMAN CONYERS: If at least 15 percent of the people vote "uncommitted," the state Democratic Party must send that percentage of delegates to the national convention uncommitted.

REP. CONYERS: My wife and I are voting "uncommitted." We will work with the Democratic Party to make sure that uncommitted delegates go to that convention truly uncommitted so that Obama can compete for their vote.

MALE: Thank you, Congressman Conyers and Councilwoman Conyers. I will join you and vote "uncommitted" on Tuesday.

FEMALE: Me too. At least my vote won't be wasted.

COUNCILWOMAN CONYERS: This truth-in-politics message was paid for my Friends of Monica Conyers.

And while the Conyers’ are promoting their cause, some media organizations have reported that Clinton’s participation in the Michigan primary could backfire.

"Clinton could be embarrassed by a large percentage of uncommitted votes, experts say," according to The Detroit News, "because any vote that is not for her is against her."

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Associated Press contributed to this story.