Wisconsin, Illinois and Massachusetts Voters Pass Initiatives to Bring the Troops Home

Hello everyone,

While celebrating the results of the midterm elections and Rumsfeld's resignation, we want to share the news of this particular victory, which was the result of the hard work of many UFPJ member groups and allies in Wisconsin, Illinois and Massachusetts. Out of 162 "Bring the Troops Home" ballot measures throughout the three states, every single one passed, many by a huge margin.

As Erik Leaver of the Institute for Policy Studies wrote in his analysis, "Elections Offer Hope for a Change in Course in Iraq," "Iraq headed the agenda in states such as Wisconsin, Illinois and Massachusetts where 'Bring Our Troops Home' ballot initiatives succeeded in every community in which they appeared. In Cook County, IL, 80 percent voted yes for Countywide Public Policy Referenda #3 which posed the question: 'Shall the United States Government immediately begin an orderly and rapid withdrawal of all its military personnel from Iraq, beginning with the National Guard and Reserves?'" http://www.fpif.org/fpiftxt/3684

Please see the press releases below for more details.

If your group has been thinking about pursuing such a referendum in your town, county or state, visit the Cities for Peace website for resources and information: http://www.ips-dc.org/citiesforpeace/ (the site hasn't been updated in awhile, but the toolkits and other resources are still very useful)

Peace!

Susan

Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice www.wnpj.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

"Bring Our Troops Home" Initiatives Sweep Wisconsin , Illinois , Massachusetts


Contacts:
Wisconsin: Janet Parker, (608) 257-2748 Steve Burns, (608) 250-9240

Illinois: Laurel Lambert Schmidt (708) 447-9577, (708) 991-8175
(cell), Siobhan Kolar, (630) 270-8520
Massachusetts: Paul Shannon (617) 497-5273 or (617) 623-5288


Wisconsin, Illinois and Massachusetts "Bring Our Troops Home" ballot initiatives are headed for a sweep of every community in which they appeared. A full summary of "Troops Home" election returns in all three states is posted at: www.wnpj.org/homenow .

In Wisconsin, final returns for Boscobel, Fox Point, Lake Delton, Middleton, South Milwaukee, Springdale and Viroqua and Wauwatosa show all initiatives passing, winning with more than 60% of the vote in several communities.

As of 1:00 am Tuesday Night, with 98% of precincts reporting, the City of Milwaukee voted 72% for "orderly, rapid and comprehensive withdrawal" from Iraq , and with 85% of Precincts reporting, Racine voters approved their "Troops Home" initiative with a 61% "yes" vote.

Wisconsin's statewide totals gave a more than two-to-one "yes" vote. In Illinois , final returns for the state capitol, Springfield , gave a 60% "yes" vote, while partial returns as of 1:00 am showed all initiatives passing, some with "yes" votes approaching 70%. Champaign township, with 94% reporting, gave a 57% "yes" vote, and Cunningham township, with 86% reporting, showed a 65% "yes" vote. In Cook County , with 49% reporting, the initiative was winning with a 66% "yes" vote. DuPage and Kane Counties , home of several of the successful initiatives, were carried by George W. Bush in the 2004 election.

And, most remarkably, In Massachusetts, where 36 legislative districts voted on a resolution to "end the war in Iraq immediately and bring all United States military forces home", the Boston Globe reported that, as of 2:00 am Eastern Time, all 36 districts had voted in favor of the initiative. The districts encompassed 139 Massachusetts communities.

"I don't think the voters could make themselves any clearer. The voters get it - they know that the best thing for the American people and the Iraqi people is for us to bring our troops home from their country. Now it's time for our government to listen" said Steve Burns, Program Coordinator for the Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice.

"I was blown away by the totals" said Laurel Lambert Schmidt, an organizer of the initiatives in Berwyn and Riverside townships. Partial returns showed a 71% "yes" vote in Berwyn , and a 61% "yes" vote in Riverside .

"The antiwar majority has spoken!" said Siobhan Kolar, an initiative organizer in Geneva Township , which reported a 54% "yes" vote.

More details including language of all the referenda at www.wnpj.org/homenow

http://www.noiraqwar-chicago.org/noiraqwa/?p=6

ANTIWAR REFERENDUM PASSES BY OVERWHELMING MAJORITIES IN CHICAGO, COOK COUNTY SUBURBS, ILLINOIS CITIES

CHICAGO (Nov 8, 2006) - Huge numbers of voters across the state of Illinois, wherever antiwar referendums appeared on the ballot, voted to stop the war and 'immediately begin an orderly and rapid withdrawal.'

At 3am, in the City of Chicago, with 95 percent of precincts reporting, the margin was 80 percent to 20 percent-389,000 'Yes' and 93,000 'No'. The tallies were similar throughout suburban Cook County, where towns like Evanston and Oak Park had the measure on the ballot as well

'Countywide Public Policy Referenda #3' is a non-binding referendum on the war which asks voters: "Shall the United States Government immediately begin an orderly and rapid withdrawal of all its military personnel from Iraq, beginning with the National Guard and Reserves?" The ballot measure, which mirrors similar resolutions passed by more than 100 city councils nationwide, including the Chicago City Council, as well as the AFL-CIO, is non-binding, meaning a "yes" vote is simply the decision of the voter to show their support for a stop-the-war stand.

The placement of the referendum on the War in Iraq on the Cook County ballot is the work of Chicagoans Against War and Injustice (CAWI), its citywide network of neighborhood affiliates and allied peace groups. CAWI has been mobilizing against Bush's Iraqi misadventure since its first demonstration in October 2002, Also joining their effort were dozens of suburban anti-war groups that are part of the Illinois Coalition for Peace and Justice (ILCPJ) . Other outstate cities had similar outcomes:


DeKalb-yes 58%
Geneva-Yes 54%
Aurora-Yes 60%
Riverside-Yes 61%
Downers Grove-Yes 55%
Champaign-58%
Cunningham-65%
Whiteside 53%
Springfield 59%
Berwyn 71%
Oak Park 76%


"Millions have demonstrated against the war, hundreds of towns and cities have passed resolutions against the war; now we have given about half the voters across the state a chance to vote their opinion directly in this critical national election," said Carl Davidson, Co-Chair of CAWI. "Some say advisory votes like this don't matter, but they actually matter a great deal in expressing and shaping public opinion. This is only one action among many, but they all add up."

"This sends a strong message to public officials-both Democrat and Republican-who may have privately opposed or doubted Bush and the war, but were concerned about popular support for a tougher antiwar stand," added Marilyn Katz, who with Davidson and other activists initiated CAWI in the fall of 2002. "Now they know there is an insurgent antiwar majority out there, and its time to speak and act for them forcefully and effectively."

Since its founding, CAWI has organized dozens of peace rallies, forums and voter drives enabling thousands of ordinary, everyday Chicagoans to speak out against the Iraq War and other social injustices, as well as working with the Chicago City Council and other councils throughout the nation to oppose the war.

The Illinois Coalition for Peace and Justice, founded in April 2006, is the coming together of more than 90 justice, community, faith-based, student and labor groups in Illinois. Acting in a broad non-partisan alliance, ILCPJ hopes to end US military actions and shift resources to social justice around the world.

For more information on the Illinois Coalition for Peace and Justice or the November 7th resolution, please visit www.ilcpj.org