COLUMBIA Mo.
Having conquered California a decade ago and Michigan last year, affirmative action critic Ward Connerly now has his sights set on the Show-Me State.
The former University of California regent was a key force behind that state's successful ballot measure banning consideration of race and gender in public hiring, contracting and school admissions.
Washington state voters passed a similar law in 1998, as did Michigan voters in 2006.
Missouri is one of five states Connerly and his supporters are targeting as part of a concerted effort to strike down affirmative action laws during a so-called "Super Tuesday for Equal Rights" in 2008. Ballot initiatives are also being organized in Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma and Nebraska
On Thursday, Connerly touted his plan at two events in Kansas City, including a lecture at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He was scheduled to speak Friday in St. Louis.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Connerly, who is Black, called for an end to "race-based affirmative action" in favor of what he called "socio-economic affirmative action."
"We're going through a transition in our country," he said. "We need to help those who need it rather than presuming that all Black people or all minorities are in need of some special treatment."
To get the so-called Missouri Civil Rights Initiative on the November 2008 ballot, supporters must collect roughly 150,000 signatures from registered voters in the state.
Before that can happen, a Cole County judge must rule on dueling legal complaints over a ballot summary prepared by Secretary of State Robin Carnahan for the proposed constitutional amendment.
Tim Asher, former admissions director at North Central Missouri College who is leading the ballot effort, filed a suit in July charging that the ballot summary "uses argumentative language" and misrepresents the proposed amendment.
The Carnahan summary says the proposal would "ban affirmative action programs designed to eliminate discrimination against ... women and minorities in public contracting, employment and education."
