URBANA– A majority of Urbana voters backed an advisory referendum asking whether the U.S. should end its military funding for Israel.
Residents petitioned to get the measure on the Cunningham Township ballot earlier this year in response to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. Based on unofficial results from the Champaign County Clerk’s office, around 70% of the city electorate voted “Yes” on the question.
The proposal appeared with the following ballot language:
Shall the United States federal government and subordinate divisions stop giving military funding to Israel, which currently costs taxpayers $3.8 billion a year, given Israel’s global recognition as an apartheid regime with a track record of human rights violations?”
More than 43,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began more than a year ago, Palestinian health officials say. They do not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but say more than half of those killed were women and children. The war began after Hamas militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and abducting 250 others.
Supporters celebrated the outcome of the vote.
“It was just an incredible effort of a diverse coalition committed to justice, peace and human rights. And it was, it was a united movement,” said Jessica Yasin, a member of Champaign-Urbana Muslim Action Committee.
“It was by not only CUMAC but Urbana-Champaign Jews For Ceasefire… and countless individuals who believe our tax dollars [should] not fund a country accused of serious human rights abuses.”
The proposal has no direct policy impact. However, Lilah Leopold, a member of the Urbana-Champaign Jews for Ceasefire, said the group hopes the measure sends a clear message to policymakers that they want the war in Gaza to end.
“We hope all our elected officials across Champaign County and at the state and federal levels take action and make policy that responds to their constituents,” she said.
Opponents of the referendum took issue with the referendum’s wording.
“If you were a voter who walked into the election booth on Tuesday with no prior information, you were faced with a misleading ballot initiative with language that really just represented one perspective and offered no balance on a very complex geopolitical situation,” said Ma’ayan Weinberg, executive director of the Champaign-Urbana Jewish Federation.
Weinberg also raised concerns that the referendum outcome could make Urbana residents with ties to Israel feel unsafe.
Voters also approved a separate advisory question asking if the city should adopt a policy where it would not invest in companies producing fossil fuels.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.