With last week’s announcement of a recall election on Oct.
7, Californians will soon have to decide more than just whether or
not to oust incumbent Gov. Gray Davis.
They will also be voting on the Classification by Race,
Ethnicity, Color, or National Origin initiative, which earlier this
year qualified for the next statewide election. The change in date
has caused some political analysts to wonder how this will affect
voter turnout.
If approved by California voters, CRECNO ““ formerly known
as the Racial Privacy Initiative ““ would prohibit the
collection of racial information about employees and students at
any state institution, including the University of California,
beginning January 1, 2005.
The initiative has also undergone another identity change
““ it will be listed as Proposition 54 on the official
ballot.
Some political analysts believe that placing the initiative on
the recall ballot favors its supporters. A recent Field Poll found
that 62 percent of Republicans approve of the initiative.
“I think this is one election where the Republicans have a
clear advantage in getting people out to vote,” said Matt
Baum, an assistant political science professor at UCLA who
specializes in public opinion.
Baum said since many Democrats are frustrated with Davis, they
will be less likely to vote than “Republicans who loathe
him” who will “likely show up in droves.”
Undergraduate Students’ Association External Vice
President Matt Kaczmarek echoed this belief.
“Conservative people who have a beef with the way the
state is being run are more likely to vote than liberal people who
may not feel the urgency,” he said.
Last Thursday, the Field Poll released a study that showed that
about 50 percent of Californians support CRECNO. In addition, 63
percent of those who said they would vote “yes” to
recall Gov. Gray Davis also said they would vote “yes”
on CRECNO.
Jeff Lewis, a UCLA political science professor, said that having
CRECNO on the recall ballot might encourage some anti-recall
Californians to vote, not because they support Davis, but because
of their distaste for CRECNO.
But even if Democrats have a higher voter turnout than
anticipated, how they will vote on CRECNO is uncertain. The Field
Poll found that 21 percent of Californians have no opinion, and
only 34 percent of Democrats said they would vote
“no.”
CRECNO is the brainchild of UC Regent Ward Connerly, an
outspoken proponent of Proposition 209, which prohibits race
consideration in state jobs and public university admissions.
Since the passage of Proposition 209, Connerly has continued to
endorse what he calls “color-blind” legislation.
“The intent is to steer the government away from
classifying its citizens,” said Diane Schachterle, a
spokeswoman for the American Civil Rights Coalition ““ a group
chaired by Connerly that opposes racial and gender
classification.
She added that the ACRC’s concern with racial
classification is that it causes minorities to underperform.
“It’s negative stereotyping,” she said.
“They will only live up to a lowered expectation.”
But fourth-year African American studies student Payshun Hamm
said CRECNO is short-sided and damaging to minorities who want to
embrace their heritage.
“I’m a person who was born in America, but whose
roots trace back to Africa,” he said. “That needs to be
honored as much as my Americanism.”
In May, the UC Regents voted 15-2-1 to oppose CRECNO, but as
Connerly noted then, the regents resolution carries no legal
authority.
But Kaczmarek said that the regents’ vote does commit them
to inform students about CRECNO and make it easier for them to vote
on the initiative.
He said the UC Office of the President has agreed to send out a
UC-wide e-mail that would include a link to a voter registration
Web site. He added that registering students to vote, and educating
them about the language of CRECNO will be the biggest challenges
his office faces in fighting the initiative.
Last Thursday, the Affirmative Action Coalition hosted a
teach-in, attended by about 40 students, to discuss the effects of
CRECNO.
Kaczmarek said his office will be working hard over the summer
to keep CRECNO from being passed by voters in the fall.
“It’s going to take, more than anything else, a
public education campaign,” he said.
With reports from Charles Proctor, Daily Bruin Senior
Staff.