Affirmative Action

Connerly Throws In The Towel In Arizona

Joe Mathews — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 06:16:00 -0400

Backers of Ward Connerly's anti-affirmative action initiative on Friday abandoned their lawsuit to try to get the measure on the ballot. It had appeared to have enough to qualify, but was kicked off the ballot because of an unusually high rate of invalid signatures. The supporters of the measure were going back through signatures in Maricopa County, but ran out of time to go through all of them, in part because the county was providing them only two computers to do the work. They say they'll try again in 2010.

I'd be surprised if they can get the money. Connerly and his supporters have proven incapable of getting the basics of qualifying initiatives right. He had originally planned to have a similar initiative on the ballot in five states. But he has failed in three states, and his initiative in Colorado is in trouble. The only state he's made the ballot? Nebraska.

Arizona Can't Print Its Ballots

Joe Mathews — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 12:13:00 -0400

Here's the latest in the signature gathering mess that has consumed Arizona, knocking initiatives on the ballot that appeared to have qualified: a judge has blocked state and county officials from printing the November ballots.

The order came as a result of a legal challenge to the state's decision to remove Ward Connerly's anti-affirmative action initiative from the ballot. The Initiative's sponsors have gone to court, arguing that some signatures declared invalid are in fact valid. The judge hearing that case issued the order, saying that Connerly's backers deserved the chance to make their case that the initiative should be restored to the ballot.

Connerly Falls Short Again, This Time in Arizona

Joe Mathews — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 18:39:00 -0400

The latest victim of Arizona's signature gathering mess is Ward Connerly's anti-affirmative action initiative there. Connerly's effort there submitted a number of signatures well over the minimum required for qualification, but the state and counties found so many signatures to be invalid that it has been struck from the November ballot. Connerly is telling the Arizona press that he's not giving up--he's going to show the signatures are valid.

This is the third of five states in which Connerly's organization sponsored anti-affirmative action measures but failed to qualify them for the ballot. In each state, Connerly and his organization have blamed others -- state officials, opponents doing blocking campaigns, or even state laws. But it may be time to regroup and develop a better approach to signature gathering. Connerly is 2 for 5 this year. Batting .400 is good in baseball, but embarssing bad when you've got the funding and are qualifying measures for the ballot. One wonders when Connerly's financial backers will begin to complain that he is wasting their money.

Both Sides Of Nebraska Affirmative Action Initiative Are Failing to Disclose

Joe Mathews — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 13:56:00 -0400

That's the case made by the Columbus (Neb.) Telegram. The group sponsoring initiative, which would ban affirmative action in public programs, is failing to comply with a law requiring that out-of-state donors be disclosed. And groups opposing the measure is hiding the ball by listing varius payments to itself. It's a very strong article, and is here.

Connerly On To Arizona

Joe Mathews — Mon, 12 May 2008 16:34:00 -0400

Having failed to qualify his anti-affirmative action initiative in Oklahoma and Missouri, Ward Connerly's group gives $90,000 for signature gathering in Arizona; he's given $180,000 so far. That may sound like a lot, but it's not enough to qualify an initiative in the state. Keep an eye on this.

Once Again, Connerly Fails to Get The Signatures

Joe Mathews — Wed, 07 May 2008 20:09:00 -0400

This is getting to be a habit with Ward Connerly. Earlier this year, he said that he would qualify anti-affirmative action initiatives for ballots in five states. But he struck out in qualifying in Oklahoma, failing to get enough valid signatures after facing several challenges. Now he's missed the deadline for signature turn-in in Missouri. So his initiatives only will appear in three states, tops. (Colorado signatures are being challenged in court). What's unclear is why he keeps failing. Connerly blames his opponents and, in Missouri, a blocking campaign, but lots of measures face strong opposition and blocking campaigns. If a signature effort is properly organized and funded, it will qualify for the ballot. In these states, Connerly is effectively wasting money by gathering signatures but not getting enough to qualify on the ballot. If he wants to find out who is to blame for these failures, it might be time for him to buy a mirror.

Read What You Sign, Folks

Joe Mathews — Thu, 01 May 2008 15:25:00 -0400

This Associated Press story from Missouri tries to turn what is routine into a scandal. A reporter watches signature gathering in St. Louis on multiple ballot measures, and interviews a man who signs his name three separate times, not realizing he is signing three separate petitions -- including a Ward Connerly-backed anti-affirmative action initiative he doesn't like -- instead of just one. It appears the gatherer talked ot him only about the first petition, an eminent domain measure, and not the others, including the affirmative action one. This is treated as an outrage.

Yes, it would be nice if gatherers patiently explained everything they are doing, but this is typical behavior and -- in the next phrase I'm practicing law without a license -- doesn't violate misrepresentation laws, despite the claims of the AP. Signature gatherers -- who are paid by the signature -- typically carry all of the better paying petitions in a state on their clipboards, and love to get signatures on multiple measures. It is not the gatherers' job or responsiblity to explain what voters are signing. It's the responsibility of voters. The gentleman in the AP story could have simply taken the time to read each of the things he was signing. It is not too much to ask. Signature gatherers are there to collect signatures, not to protect you from yourself.

Connerly Measure Short of Sigs in Arizona?

Joe Mathews — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 19:22:00 -0400

The ballot initiative is short of signatures and could fall short of qualifying for the ballot, according to the Arizona Republic, citing anonymous sources. Sponsors of the ballot initiative, which proposes to end affrimative action by public agencies, say it's not true. If the report is correct, it wouldn't be the first time that Ward Connerly and his supporters have had trouble in their efforts to qualify anti-affirmative action measures in five states. They already came up short in one of the five states, Oklahoma, where the political climate has been hostile to petition circulators.

Weekend Round Up: Maryland, My Maryland

Joe Mathews — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 17:27:00 -0400

A busy, busy day for blockbuster democracy... 10 items follow.

ARKANSAS RE-FILING: After the attorney general rejected the first version, an initiative to require proof of citizenship or legal status to receive public benefits has been refiled by its supporters. This measure appears headed for the November ballot. It creats a political dilemma in particular for Democrats, who continue to have a hold on Arkansas politics that they've lost in other Southern states. It also could complicate the efforts of Democratic presidential candidates, who would be almost certain to oppose it, to win a state that may well be in play in a Democratic year.

COLORADO HISTORY LESSON: The writer David Sirota goes deep -- very deep -- in explaining the history behind the current labor-business imbroglio that appears headed to the ballot.in Colorado. All the way to the Ludlow Massacre (he name-checks my Los Angeles Times colleague Scott Martelle's, whose book about that slaughter, Blood Passion, is an instant classic of Western history). Sirota sees Gov. Bill Ritter's efforts to find a compromise and head off ballot measures in a very dark, anti-union way. That may not be fair, but the piece is worth reading.

GATHERING YOUR SIGS BEFORE THEY'RE...News from the teachers' union vs. casino battles in Nevada: the Las Vegas Sands and its chairman Sheldon Adelson are employing petition circulators to gather signatures on three initiatives before they're cleared the courts, according to the Las Vegas Sun. This shows that Adelson, who is the third richest man in America according to some reports, has money to burn because if a court were to change the measure in the slightest, any signatures gathered would be worthless and the Sands would have to start over. The Sands initiatives appear designed to counter a teachers' union initiative that would raise the state gaming tax to generate more funds for education.

FROM THE RIGHT, A LOOK AT ANTI-AFFIRMATIVE ACTION MEASURES: City Journal takes a look at the four Ward Connerly-backed measures on state ballots this fall.

ATTEMPT TO BLOCK TRANSGENDERED REFERENDUM: Friend of the blog Ann Marimow reports in the Washington Post on legal manuevering to stop a referendum of a law establishing more rights for the transgendered in Montgomery County, Maryland.

MORE FREE STATE NASTINESS. The campaing for slots referendum in Maryland -- its governor and legislature put the measure on the ballot to produce new revenues to balance the budget -- is underway, and Gov. Martin O'Malley is already taking swipes at his opponents.

PRAISE FOR POLICY OF DELAY BEFORE ENDORSING INITIAITIVES. The city council in Yakima, Wash., sees so many local ballot measures being filed that it has adopted a policy of not making endorsements until they qualify for the ballot. That's a good policy anywhere, given the number of measures that are filed merely to make a point, provide the basis of a mailer, or achieve some kind of leverage in a dispute.

HOUSTON COMPANY TRIES TO STOP OREGON REFERENDUM: The plot gets thicker in the ballot battle over a new Liquefied Natural Gas terminal on the Columbia River. The Houston natural gas company has gone to court in an attempt to head off the referendum. This has the potential to be one of the most closely watched local ballot measure fights in the country.

THE PLEASANT HILLS OF PLEASANTON: Residents there have submitted signatures on a local initiative to limit development in hillside areas of that California city. It's yet another effort to decide land use and development questions at the ballot.

OAKLAND COUNCIL DOESN'T CARE FOR NEW YOUTH BALLOT INITIATIVE: The council extended funding for youth programs but doesn't like "government by initiative" and opposes new initiative.

TUESDAY ROUND UP: Connerly Surrender, and Will Initiative Let the Sun Shine In?

Joe Mathews — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 16:27:00 -0400

CONNERLY SURRENDER: Connerly gives up in Oklahoma. It was one of five states where he had sponsored measures opposing affirmative action. They didn't collect enough signatures, they tell the Tulsa World. This is a major logistical screw-up by Connerly and his backers; signatures had been turned in in December. The backers had more time to gather signatures, but appear to have done a poor job in collecting valid signatures and in calculating how many they needed.

WILL THE SUNSHINE IN? Margot Roosevelt of the LA Times takes a thorough look at an alternative energy ballot initiative in California, sponsored by the University of Phoenix founder. The solar energy industry is skeptical.

COORS SIGHTING: The Rocky Mountain News reports on Monday's meeting between backers of a "right-to-work" initiative in California and Gov. Bill Ritter. No news from the meetings--lips were tight afterward, and no agreements have been reached. Ritter clearly would like labor and business groups to slow down their move towards a multi-initiative war. The News piece focuses on former Schwarzenegger aide, Jonathan Coors. And yes, he is one of those Coors.