“I will not vote for or support any candidate for Congress or President who does not make a speedy end to the war in Iraq, and preventing any future war of aggression, a public position in his or her campaign.”

This is the pledge signed by over 18,000 people in the Give Peace a Vote drive organized by CodePink. It is the same pledge signed by approximately 80,000 other voters as part of the Voters for Peace campaign which includes Gold Star Families for Peace, Peace Action, Global Exchange, United for Peace and Justice (a coalition of 1,400 local groups in itself), CodePink and others.

Before the Iraq War, CodePink (whose name plays on the Bush administration’s threat level system) was known as an international, women-initiated social justice movement creatively calling attention to many of our most pressing issues – “making the color pink synonymous with political rabble rousing,” said co-founder, Jodie Evans.

Direct actions included hanging 40-foot pink banners with slogans like Stop Selling War out hotel windows; handing out pink educational flyers at pink lemonade stands; and awarding pink slips to political and corporate leaders who were leading our nation towards war. Members yelled out questions during Donald Rumsfeld’s testimony in Congress regarding torture at Abu Ghraib; chained themselves to the entrance of the Halliburton’s shareholders meeting; and brought US military families to Iraq where they met Iraqi victims of the war and occupation.

Now CodePink is focused on sending a message to politicians at the voting booth.

“With these pledge forms, I am finding an enthusiasm to end the war that I haven’t seen in the past,” Evans said. “Give Peace a Vote is going to give visibility to the emerging peace voting bloc so that the politicians can’t keep ignoring the will of the voters to end the war in Iraq.”

Well known peacemakers–including Samuel Jackson, musicians Jackson Browne, and Steve Earle, Angelica Huston, Susan Sarandon, Sandra Oh, Mike Farrell, Ed Asner, Paul Haggis, Julia-Louise Dreyfuss, Cornel West, writers Alice Walker, Maxine Hong Kingston and Gore Vidal, among others–are doing their part to draw attention to the effort. Yoko Ono also signed onto the pledge that is named after John Lennon’s peace anthem, Give Peace a Chance.

As we approach Election Day, let the candidates know you are serious about putting an end to the Iraq War by signing the pledge. Give Peace a Vote – we’ll all be tickled pink when the warmongers are thrown out and the peace candidates prevail.