Listen to Wisconsin Organizers Call on the WI Democratic Party to Uphold “Uninstructed” Voter Demands, Ceasefire Resolution at State Party Convention

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Wednesday, June 5, 2024

Milwaukee, Wisconsin — This week, delegates to the Wisconsin State Democratic Party Convention received notice that two proposed ceasefire resolutions will not be brought to discussion at the convention this upcoming weekend and are recommended for non-adoption. This news comes despite continued polls showing widespread voter support for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, including over 68% of Democrats and Independents who strongly support it in Wisconsin. 

Listen to Wisconsin “Uninstructed” Campaign organizers and supporters have called on the party to respect the democratic process and allow discussion on ceasefire resolutions that call for U.S. foreign policy to ensure an end to Israel’s war in Gaza and full humanitarian aid for starving Palestinians. 

“I was appalled when I saw the resolutions packet,” said Heba Mohammad, a Listen to Wisconsin organizer and delegate to the state party convention. “They not only chose to ignore the very clear views of their party members and 48,000 “uninstructed” primary voters, but the only resolution being prioritized for discussion is one that tries to single out Netanyahu for warfare that has been upheld through bipartisan, unconditional aid to Israeli genocidal warfare—evading voters’ clear demands for de-escalation and pretending this issue is exclusive to Netanyahu’s regime. It’s not. And I will be pushing back against this.” 

“I’m a Democrat. It’s my job as a delegate to warn my party that we need to represent voters on this issue if we don’t want to continue to divide our base in the interest of a few. We’ve seen enough death with over 36,000 Palestinians killed in the past 8 months,” said Jim Carpenter, another delegate who introduced a ceasefire resolution.

“This should not be controversial, especially now that the Biden administration has said they will move to ensure a ceasefire. We went through the normal processes to put forward a straightforward ceasefire resolution based in humanitarian needs, not politics, and we’re seeing a clear double standard when it comes to this issue,” Carpenter said. 

Per party rules, there will still be an opportunity for delegates to make a motion to discuss these resolutions onsite at the convention, or to introduce a new floor resolution if they can organize supporters in the room to propose and second it for discussion, and to print at minimum 50 copies to be received at least three hours before the convention begins. Other resolutions, such as one supporting aid to Ukraine against Russian warfare, are recommended for adoption but the only one noted “for separate discussion” is concerning a condemnation of Netanyahu. 

The resolutions are typically voted on as a package. Recommendations to “adopt” or “not adopt” reflect what the state Democratic party’s platform & resolutions committee predetermined. The only way to avoid the recommended adoption or non-adoption is to move to separate a resolution from the packet “for separate discussion.” Listen to Wisconsin Uninstructed Campaign delegates plan to do so despite the party’s repression of voters’ demands on Gaza in the party platform—a platform that calls on the U.S. government to stand against genocide. 

“It’s important to remember that three congressional districts—of eight—passed ceasefire resolutions,” said Reema Ahmad, Listen to Wisconsin “Uninstructed” Campaign Manager. “They are ignoring the support for a ceasefire among three of the most Democratic and heavily populated Congressional Districts—in addition to “uninstructed” primary voters. It’s nonsensical and undemocratic in an election that will be won by slim margins.”

In addition to the 48,162 people who voted “uninstructed” in the April 2nd Democratic Presidential Primary statewide, the aforementioned poll of Wisconsin Democratic and Independent voters shows “Gaza voters” make up well over this margin, which is already more than double the number of votes Trump and Biden won by in 2016 and 2020, respectively. The poll shows that while 1 in 5 are less likely to vote for Biden due to his support for Israel’s war in Gaza, 2 in 5 are more likely to vote for Biden if he imposes a ceasefire and conditions military aid to Israel. 

In fact, affirming the demands of the “uninstructed” anti-war campaign, more than 1 in 4 Democrats or Independents in Wisconsin say a ceasefire, full humanitarian aid to Gaza, conditions or an end to military aid to Israel, and an end to the siege of Gaza as a path toward lasting peace are all minimum changes needed to secure their votes for Biden in November.