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LOCAL News :: Peace

Chicago Overwhelmingly Votes vs War by 80 percent

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Carl Davidson - CAWI (312) 415-2499; card717 (at) aol.com

Wick Swanton - MK Communications (312) 822-0505; wswanton (at) mkcpr.com

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ANTIWAR REFERENDUM PASSES BY OVERWHELMING MAJORITIES IN CHICAGO, COOK COUNTY SUBURBS
AND SEVERAL 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 midnight, in the City of Chicago, with 75 percent of precincts reporting, the margin was 80 percent to 20 percent--338,000 'Yes' and 84,000 '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 52%
Aurora-Yes 58%
Riverside-Yes 62%
Downers Grove-Yes 55%
Champaign-58%
Cunningham-65%
Whiteside 58%
Springfield 59%
Berwyn 70%
Oak Park 75%

"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
 
 

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