Arizona Voters Asked to Decide Fate of Race-Based Admissions and Hiring at State Universities

On November 2, voters in Arizona will be asked to vote yes or no on ballot Proposition 107, also known as the Arizona Civil Rights Initiative. Voters will decide whether to amend the state constitution to prohibit racial preferences in hiring, contracting, or admissions decisions by any agency of the state government. This would include state-operated colleges and universities. Similar measures have been approved by voters in California, Nebraska, Michigan, and Washington.

In an election cycle in which GOP turnout is expected to be high, most political pundits believe the initiative stands a good chance to pass.

Blacks make up 5 percent of the undergraduate students at Arizona State University in Tempe. At the University of Arizona in Tucson, blacks are 3 percent of the undergraduates.

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