Capitol Alert
Bringing back affirmative action has little support among California voters, poll shows
A November ballot initiative that would reinstate affirmative action policies long banned in California has slim support among likely voters, according to a new Public Policy Institute of California poll.
The initiative, Proposition 16, would repeal a 1996 ban on affirmative action in public education, hiring and contracting decisions. The California Legislature, led by Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, D-San Diego, in June voted to put the initiative on the fall ballot with supporters arguing that restoring affirmative action would ensure that different people have a fair shot at success.
The poll of over 1,700 likely California voters found 47% of respondents would vote no on Proposition 16, while 31% would vote yes and 22% said they were undecided.
The poll shows 46% of likely Democratic voters support Proposition 16, while 9% of Republicans and 26% of Independents support it. The highest percentage of supporters were located in the San Francisco Bay Area, 40%, and Los Angeles, 37%. Regions with less than one-third of support include Orange/San Diego, 28%, Central Valley, 25% and the Inland Empire, 20%.
About 34% of likely California voters said the outcome of the Proposition 16 vote is very important to them, according to the poll. Thirty-nine percent of Latinos are more likely than 30% of white people to say the outcome is very important.
Supporters of the initiative argue the ballot initiative would create equal footing among people of color and increase racial and gender representation in higher education and the workforce. The California Latino Legislative Caucus and the California Asian Pacific Island Legislative Caucus are among groups that have expressed support for repealing Proposition 209.
With less than 50 days to go until Election Day, the Vote Yes on Prop 16 campaign organized a lowrider caravan to kick-off Latino Heritage Month on Wednesday in Sacramento.
The Vote Yes on Prop 16 campaign in a written statement said it believes voters will support the initiative when they earn more about it.
“When voters understand what Prop. 16 is and who is on which side, they support it,” according to a statement from the campaign. “It’s no surprise that in a crowded election year — not to mention historic wildfires and a global pandemic — voters are just starting to tune in to down-ballot races.”
Republicans lawmakers argue affirmative action would increase discrimination and that diverse communities in California have made strides in representation without it.
It’s being opposed by a committee called Californians for Equal Rights, No on 16.
“We are confident that Californian voters don’t support racial preferences,” the campaign said in a written statement about the poll. “Once voters understand the truth — that Prop. 16 promotes racial discrimination and racial discord, they will reject it.”
A coalition of organizations that endorse the No on Prop 16 campaign include, the Asian American Coalition for Education and the American Civil Rights Institute, which is led by Ward Connerly, a former University of California Regent who was a main advocate for the 1996 initiative that banned affirmative action.
A different recent survey of 1,200 Latino registered voters by Latino Community Foundation and polling firm Latino Decisions showed a majority of Latinos in California support restoring affirmative action.
In a split group, between 51% and 57% of Latinos surveyed said they were in support of Proposition 16. After respondents were told that it would help the Latino community “receive an equal opportunity to pursue a higher education here in California” about 76% of Latinos said they were in favor of reinstating affirmative action.
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