Voters living within Normal Township will have an extra question on their November ballots.
A majority of the residents at Tuesday’s annual township meeting voted to add a nonbinding poll in the general election. The poll asks whether the state should repeal a law preventing state-funded institutions from boycotting companies which support Israeli interests.
It took more than half-an-hour to register the approximately 75 people who turned out at the Normal Activity and Recreation Center. Township Clerk Dayna Schickedanz acknowledged that larger-than-normal attendance in her opening remarks.
“First let me start off by saying, wow, I really appreciate this level of participation in any township meeting. So, to see all of you come out and be actively involved in township governance is super exciting for a political nerd like me,” she said.
Agenda items included reports from township supervisor Krystle Able, assessor Kent Depew and roads commissioner Arin Rader. But many in the crowd weren't there for that.
Attendees had naturally divided into camps, with mostly college students on one side of the auditorium and slightly older township residents on the other.
It became clear the divide was more than generational. The right side of the crowd voted to add a "question of public policy" to the general election ballot in November. The left side of the auditorium opposed the idea, but came up 10 votes short.
The motion carried with 31 “yes” votes and 21 “nos.”
At issue was a whether the state of Illinois should repeal its anti-BDS [boycott, divestment and sanctions] statute restricting state-funded institutions from refusing to engage with companies that "profit from or enable Israel's apartheid policies and human rights violations."
BDS is a movement affiliated with pro-Palestinian groups aimed at urging institutions to disaffiliate from companies and contractors which directly or indirectly support Israel's interests.
Eight public commenters were equally divided on the issue, with four speaking in favor of the resolution and four against it.
Illinois State University student Kevin, who did not give his last name, said the law restricts taxpayers from weighing in on where their money goes.
“In the absence of institutional support, our only option has been boycotts and calls for divestment,” he said. “Yet the state of Illinois, despite having over $10 million invested in Israeli bombs, has implemented a ridiculous and undemocratic ban on any sort of monetary divestment from Israel.”
A pro-Palestinian encampment cropped up on Illinois State’s campus in 2024. Among the group's demands was a request that ISU separate from companies like Caterpillar, the heavy machinery company with Illinois roots which has supplied armed bulldozers to the Israeli military. In a statement, Caterpillar previously said it expects “our customers to use our products in environmentally responsible ways and consistent with human rights and the requirements of international humanitarian law.”
But a 2015 law signed by then-Gov. Bruce Rauner made Illinois the first state to divest public pension funds from companies participating in the BDS movement, theoretically preventing the university from, for example, buying Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, which supports the movement.
During public comment at Tuesday’s meeting, Chelsie Leffelman took issue with the resolution’s characterization of Israeli policies as "apartheid."
“Apartheid wasn’t just a vague term for injustice,” she said. “I don’t like injustice myself. It was a specific, state-mandated system of exclusion.”
Leffelman noted South African apartheid as “the total disenfranchisement of people based on their race. They had no vote, no representation and no place in society.”
Leffelman said that is different from what’s happening in Gaza, which until 2023 was controlled by the Palestinian militant group known as Hamas. Since the Hamas attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, Israeli Defense Forces now control more than half of the Gaza Strip.
A Heartland Community College student named Dom said the resolution is not about Israel. It's about freedom of speech.
“Boycotting is a constitutionally protected form of free speech, and that’s simply all there is to it,” he said.
Jeff Lord, a Normal resident running for a seat on the McLean County Board, questioned whether a township was the right venue for such a topic.
“This is a state level or national level type event,” he said. “It should remain at the state level. Everyone is free to contact their state legislator members, reps and senators, and the governor of their concerns.”
Why the vote happened
According to Township Supervisor Krystle Able, a group of petitioners can have items placed on the agenda with 15 signatures submitted by March 1.
“It says very generally ‘questions of public policy,’” Able said. “So, this was a question of public policy. We consulted with the township attorney to make sure this all falls under the guidelines and he says it does. So, we had to put this on the agenda.”
A similar ballot initiative failed in Bloomington in 2024. Peoria Township overwhelmingly approved a similar measure at its Tuesday meeting.
Though the item will appear on November ballots for voters in Normal Township, it does not force action by state lawmakers to change anything. But for now, those passionate about divesting from Israel are celebrating a win, leaving the auditorium with chants and enthusiastic cheers.
