SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - California voters have rejected an attempt to reinstate affirmative action programs in public hiring, contracting and college admissions, keeping a 1996 ban on the government granting preferential treatment based on race and gender.
With more than 11 million votes tallied, Proposition 16 had just 44 percent approval.
Supporters had hoped to overturn the ban amid a national reckoning over racism following the deaths of Black Americans and other people of color by police.
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They say affirmative action programs would expand opportunities for people who still face systemic racism and sexism in education and at work. Opponents say the government should treat every person equally.
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