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That year’s Initiative 200 campaign was a grassroots effort, heavily outspent by backers of affirmative action. It came in an election year when Democrats in Washington picked up two U.S. House seats and regained control of the state Senate.
And yet, even as voters approved ballot measures for medical marijuana and raising the minimum wage, 58% of voters decided to end affirmative action after a bitter and divisive campaign.
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Now, with Referendum 88, Washingtonians will revisit a charged conversation about race, gender, equality and the scope of government — and it remains to be seen whether a span of 20 years has changed residents’ views on the issue.
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The debate over affirmative action itself remains much the same as 20 years ago.
Opponents see it as polarizing and say it ultimately rewards people based on their gender, race or ethnicity, rather than merit.
Supporters say it’s needed to help correct decades of discrimination that left women and minorities lagging in opportunities and access to education, income and employment.