NEW YORK, Aug. 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, California businessman
Ward Connerly was handed his third consecutive defeat in this year's
five-state campaign designed to erect new barriers to equal opportunity in
public education, public employment and public contracting. Connerly has been
unable to get the ballot initiatives certified in the majority of the states
where he and his associates have sponsored and funded efforts this year;
identical measures in Oklahoma and Missouri similarly failed to qualify for
the ballot.
'Today is another important victory in the fight to preserve equal access
to opportunity. As was the case in Oklahoma and Missouri, Ward Connerly's
misguided and divisive effort has again fallen short, this time in Arizona.
In light of the staggering disqualification rate that the Secretary of State
found in its review of the signatures, the curtain has been pulled back on
Connerly's attempts to abuse the democratic process,' said John Payton, LDF
President and Director-Counsel.
Arizona's Secretary of State decertified the so-called 'Arizona Civil
Rights Initiative' because it did not gain sufficient public support to place
it on the ballot this November. The initiative, if passed, would have amended
the Arizona constitution to ban programs designed to provide equal access to
women and minorities in the areas of public education, public employment and
public contracting. The petitions were rife with phony or invalid signatures,
fake addresses and other disqualifying factors. For example, one notarized
petition included the names and 'signatures' of American presidents Jimmy
Carter and Gerald Ford. It also listed Libyan leader Mu'ammar al-Qadhafi with
Saudi Arabia listed as his street address and Tibet as his city of residence.
The campaigns in Arizona and several other states have been widely accused of
employing deceptive and improper practices in the signature gathering process.
LDF has been intimately involved in challenging these targeted campaigns
to roll back civil rights nationwide. LDF worked closely with Protect
Arizona's Freedom, a grass-roots volunteer coalition of Arizona citizens who
monitored the state's examination of the petitions to ensure that the ballot
initiative process was not manipulated. Today's victory is yet another sign
that Connerly's efforts are being met with close scrutiny and resistance
nationwide, and that the people reject his campaign to erect barriers to equal
opportunity in public education, public employment and public contracting.
ABOUT LDF
The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF) is America's legal
counsel on issues of race. Through advocacy and litigation, LDF focuses on
issues of education, voter protection, economic justice and criminal justice.
We encourage students to embark on careers in the public interest through
scholarships and internship programs. LDF pursues racial justice to move our
nation toward a society that fulfills the promise of equality for all.
Media Contact: Mel Gagarin, (212) 965-2783 or mgagarin@naacpldf.org
SOURCE Legal Defense Fund
