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Welcome to ArizonaCRI.org!

The Arizona Civil Rights Initiative is a state-wide ballot effort to end state sponsored discrimination in the areas of public education, contracting, and hiring.

Summary: A proposal to amend the state constitution to prohibit preferential treatment or discrimination by state government.

The proposal would amend the state constitution to prohibit preferential treatment or discrimination by state government, state universities, colleges, community colleges, school districts, counties and local governments to any individual or group based on race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education or public contracting. The amendment will not prohibit bone fide qualifications based on sex that are reasonably necessary to the normal operation of government.

Text of Proposed Amendment

Article 30
(a) The state shall not discriminate against, or grant preferential treatment to, any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education, or public contracting.

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Arizona Civil Rights Initiative Submits over 330,000 Signatures to the Secretary of State

“Arizona citizens will have the chance to vote for fairness and equality in November”

7/3/2008

Today the Arizona Civil Rights Initiative (AzCRI) submitted over 330,000 signatures to the Secretary of State, more than 100,000 over the state requirement.

Andrew Thomas, Maricopa County Attorney and Chairman of AzCRI stated, “The Arizona Civil Rights Initiative is vitally important for Arizona. Our government should be promoting equality for everyone, instead they are using a divisive system of racial and gender preferences. I am pleased that Arizona citizens will have the chance to vote for fairness and equality in November.”

He continued, “In just over 3 months we collected over 330,000 signatures from Arizona voters. That number certainly underscores the public’s desire to end programs that grant preferences based on race. I believe in November the voters of Arizona will overwhelmingly pass the Arizona Civil Rights Initiative.”

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Goldwater Institute Condemns Tactics Interfering with Signature Gathering for Racial Preferences Initiative

June 23, 2008

Phoenix--Out-of-state activists from a group calling itself "By Any Means Necessary" (BAMN) are interfering with the right of Arizona voters to place an initiative on the November ballot prohibiting racial preferences in government education, employment, and contracting.

The group has posted numerous videos documenting its harassment of petition gatherers and voters signing petitions on YouTube.com. At least two videos indicate that the group has obtained signed petitions that were intended to be filed with the Secretary of State to qualify the Arizona Civil Rights Initiative (ACRI) for the ballot.

"These activists have a right to try to persuade people not to sign petitions, and even to lie about the initiative, which they do," declared Clint Bolick, director of the Goldwater Institute Scharf-Norton Center for Constitutional Litigation. "But the moment they hijack a petition from its intended destination, they've crossed the line by denying citizens their constitutional right to petition the government."

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July 6th, 2008 – The Arizona Republic: Black Republican makes his case, racks up wins
June 27th, 2008 – Tucson Citizen: Denogean: Activists take affirmative action fight too far
June 27th, 2008 – Arizona Capitol Times: Protestors clash with affirmative action opponents
June 13th, 2008 – Wall Street Journal: Obama Is No 'Post-Racial' Candidate
May 15th, 2008 – Goldwater Institute: Competing Discrimination Initiatives May Confuse Voters
April 16th, 2008 – City Pulse: Racial-Preference Ballots Go National
April 11th, 2008 – NewsBusters.org: The Media Ignore the Hypocrisy of 'FraudBusters' Allies
April 4th, 2008 – Columbia Daily Tibune: Affirmative Action - Connerly's Revolution
November 5th, 2007 – Human Events: Arizona's Battle Against Racial Preferences
November 5th, 2007 – Phoenix Business Journal: Proposed ballot measure would prohibit discrmination against all groups
August 29th, 2007 – Phoenix Business Journal: Referendum to end racial preferences may hit ballot