Washington voters OK’d affirmative action law in 1998

Washington voters in 1998 approved a ban on affirmative action similar to the Michigan statute upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday. Initiative 200 calls for state agencies to not discriminate or grant preferential treatment based on sex or race in “public employment, public education, and public contracting.”

The measure was approved with 59 percent of the vote. The National Conference of State Legislatures reports 10 states, including Washington, have passed some law addressing affirmative action as of February.

– Kip Hill