Urbana electorate backs advisory referendum urging repeal of Illinois penalties tied to boycotts of Israel

At the Cunningham Township annual meeting in Urbana on April 14, 2026, registered township voters approved a nonbinding advisory referendum asking the state to repeal amendments to the Illinois pension code that penalize companies for boycotting Israel. Moderated ballot voting produced 62 yes votes, 11 no votes and 4 voided ballots, which the moderator announced as a passage of the advisory question.

The referendum is advisory only and does not itself change state law. "This is a nonbinding referendum advisory question," the township clerk explained, citing the statutory petition and placement process under 60 ILCS 1/30‑205. If the electorate's advisory question is approved, the township clerk must submit a township board resolution to the county clerk for placement on the November ballot after the township board formally ratifies the petition, the clerk said.

Supporters framed the measure as a free‑speech issue. "This referendum tonight addresses the right to engage in peaceful protest," said Brian Maxwell, a local community supporter who helped submit the petition, urging Urbana to join other townships placing similar questions on the ballot. Derek Bridal, a Ward 4 resident, told the meeting, "This is an issue of free speech. Everyone I'm confident is gonna vote yes." Several other speakers described moral or humanitarian reasons for supporting placement of the question.

Opponents urged caution and cited national-security and legal concerns. Alexander Stoller, an Urbana resident, said some laws are tied to prohibiting material support for designated terrorist groups and said he had voted no. Sherry Stygeman and Diane Gotile offered statements defending Israel and disputing some speakers' characterizations of history and policy.

The clerk repeatedly emphasized the referendum’s nonbinding status and the subsequent procedural steps: the township board must ratify the petition via formal resolution and then the county clerk would place the question on the ballot. The clerk also corrected a typographical error in the draft resolution language to read "Cunningham Township, Champaign County, State of Illinois."

The electorate's approval on April 14 means the clerk will pursue the required administrative steps for ballot placement, subject to the township board’s formal ratification and county filing. The township adjourned at the end of the meeting; the next annual meeting was set for April 13, 2027.