With 100% of the precincts reporting, voters are rejecting return of affirmative action in California. At least several million mail-in, provisional and same-day registration ballots were still being counted.
When California voters in 1996 rejected affirmative action, CSU and UC could no longer consider race and ethnicity in admissions, making a huge impact on the public universities.
Ward Connerly, the ex-University of California regent who fought to end affirmative action in 1996, has resurfaced to fight Proposition 16 which would allow the state's public universities to use race and ethnicity to decide admissions, faculty and contracts.
Strong campaigns ahead for and against the measure to revoke Proposition 209 after 24 years. It will be on the same Nov. 3 ballot as the presidential election.
If voters repeal the state ban on affirmative action in college admissions, some expect only moderate change among racial groups at UC and CSU while others predict significant shifts to match California's overall population.