Bloomington Voters Put Data Center Ban, Grocery Tax Repeal, and Arms Sales Question on November Ballot
Over 200 Bloomington Township voters approved three non-binding November ballot questions: a data center moratorium (111-0), a 1% grocery tax repeal (107-4), and a ban on arms sales to dictatorships (94-15).
A crowded room, three votes, one message
More than 200 Bloomington Township voters packed the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts Monday night to send a clear message to elected officials at every level of government.
The township held a special meeting to vote on three non-binding ballot questions that will appear on the November ballot. All three passed.
"So that when we do pick our United States representatives and we do pick our United States senators that absolutely decide this, they will know unequivocally what tens of thousands of Bloomingtonians thought about this question," said Zach Gittrich, one of the petitioners who submitted the agenda items, according to WGLT.
Data centers: 111-0 for a moratorium
The most decisive vote came on a measure recommending a continued moratorium on large-scale data centers in Illinois. The vote was 111-0.
The Bloomington City Council already passed a six-month moratorium on large data centers on May 25, according to township clerk Leslie Yocum. But voters wanted to make sure the message reaches state and county officials as well.
"We want to make sure those elected officials on the city council level, on the county level and on the state level understand that the people in this community do not want data centers here that are unregulated, that don't have any guardrails; that don't have any guarantees that they are going to protect our water; or that our electric rates won't go up; or that our air won't be poisoned," said Sonny Garcia, Central Illinois outreach coordinator for Faith in Place, a Chicago-based environmental justice nonprofit, according to WGLT.
Voters spoke about water scarcity, rising electric rates, and concerns about artificial intelligence displacing jobs in fields ranging from art to medicine.
"Three months ago we didn't have water," said one speaker, identified as voter 213.
"I do not want to see my future being stripped away," said another voter.
Grocery tax: 107-4 to repeal
The group also voted 107-4 to ask for the removal of the 1 percent grocery tax the city approved last year.
The tax replaced a state tax that lapsed at the end of last year. City officials have said the roughly $3 million it generates is needed for expenses such as infrastructure, according to WGLT.
But most speakers said the tax hits hardest for people with lower incomes, especially as food prices continue to climb.
Gittrich pointed to the war in Iran as a driver of rising gas and fertilizer prices, both of which affect food costs.
"It's like that Cardi B song — 'And it's up, and it's up, and it's up, and it's up,'" Gittrich told the crowd, drawing laughter.
Arms sales: 94-15 to ban transfers to dictatorships
The third question asked the federal government to ban the transfer of weapons to any country considered a dictatorship, apartheid state, or major violator of human rights. That measure passed 94-15.
Gittrich said the issue was not purely moral. He argued arms sales have real-world effects on local residents, pointing to gas stations and grocery stores as places where the consequences show up.
"In the long run, we are undermining ourselves," Gittrich said, according to WGLT.
Questions from the crowd centered on who would define those terms and whether such definitions could limit the nation's ability to act. Gittrich countered that existing U.S. policies and organizations such as the United Nations already define these issues.
What happens next
All three questions are advisory. They do not mandate elected officials to act. Township officials will certify the votes at an upcoming meeting before the questions appear on the November ballot, according to WJBC.
Bloomington City Council member Mollie Ward, who represents the seventh ward, attended the meeting and urged residents to keep pushing their message directly to decision-makers.
"If you really want to make a difference, if you really want this thing to be repealed, come to city council meetings, take your 3 minutes, and speak up," Ward said, according to WJBC.
"Write your emails. Not a mass email. Write a personal email, give a phone call."
Ward, who voted against the grocery tax last year, said she supported placing the question on the ballot. She also told the crowd that the six council members currently in office will not be on the November ballot.
"They need to hear directly from you. Come to city council meetings; come to public comment; stand up, say what ward you live in, look them in they eye and tell them that they need to change the way they voted on this. That will get their attention," Ward said.
The three questions now head toward the November ballot as a snapshot of what Bloomington voters care about most.
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