Arizona Will Vote on Affirmative Action

The Arizona Legislature has voted to place on the 2010 state ballot a proposal to bar state agencies -- including public colleges and universities -- from considering race, ethnicity and gender in decisions such as admissions and hiring, The East Valley Tribune reported. Last year, groups backing a similar proposal tried to place the item on the state ballot by citizen petition, but failed to turn in enough signatures. While some state proposals to bar the consideration of race in admissions have focused on undergraduate admissions, the biggest impact of such a measure in Arizona would likely be on graduate and professional school admissions, and on some financial aid programs.