According to leaked data from the University Student Government (USG) vote, Referendum #3, which aligned with the national Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement and called on the University to halt the usage of Caterpillar construction equipment, failed to win a majority of student support. The referendum received 44% of the vote, the opposition received 40% of the vote, and 16% of voting students abstained. Voting was held from April 11 to April 13.
A referendum needs a majority to pass. The USG Senate Constitution states: “A referendum result shall be binding on the Senate if…a majority of the votes cast in the referendum are in the affirmative.”
At least 2577 students voted in the referendum, representing an estimated 48.9% of the student population based on Princeton figures. All Princeton undergraduates were eligible to vote.
The referendum has been the subject of controversy on campus and nationally. In the past week, students on both sides of the issue have made efforts to swing campus opinion. Princeton Committee on Palestine hosted a “Caterpillar Referendum Teach-In,” J Street hosted “Occupied Palestinian Territories 101,” and PCP, the Alliance of Jewish Progressives (AJP), and the Pride Alliance hosted a discussion about Masafer Yatta, a contentious region in the West Bank. Tigers For Israel hosted a panel discussion titled “The Case Against BDS” with Ashager Araro, an Ethiopian-Israeli Jewish activist, Palestinian peace activist Bassam Eid, public intellectual Michael Walzer, and former U.S. Ambassador to Egypt and Israel, Daniel Kurtzer.
USG election officials have since made conflicting remarks about the status of the vote. Read the Tory’s coverage here for more.
UPDATE
USG posted an announcement on the afternoon of April 15, stating the following: “Results for Referendum Question 3 have not been certified at this time due to appeals pending before the Senate. Preliminary results are unofficial and must not be construed as being indicative of passage or failure. We will provide more information to the student body regarding the Senate’s decision and next steps in the coming week.” Full text is available here.
This story is breaking and will be updated as more information becomes available.
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