BAMN - Total Victory Against the Arizona Civil Rights Initiative

AUGUST 29, 2008

Total Victory in Arizona!
Ward Connerly's "Ground Zero" Campaign Against Affirmative Action Turns to Quicksand
"Super Tuesday" Becomes "Super Lose Day" for the enemies of civil rights

Late Friday afternoon, the campaign manager for the deceptively named "Arizona Civil Rights Initiative" (ACRI)—a state ban on affirmative action—announced that ACRI was dropping their challenge to the finding of the Arizona Secretary of State that ACRI did not have enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot.

From an AZ BAMN supporter:
Not since the Viet Nam war protests have I seen such an active, persistent and dedicated group of young people set in motion such an effective campaign.

I am so proud of all of you and I am pleased that in my small way I was able to help.

Thank you for this accomplishment in Arizona!

Your friend,
Pat Henson

"BAMN's fraud-blockers prevented Connerly from obtaining petition signatures by lying to qualified voters about the aim and effect of the initiative, so he was forced to resort to outright forgery and fraud," said Shanta Driver, National Chairperson of BAMN, and chief strategist of BAMN's campaign to stop ACRI.

"BAMN's campaign in Arizona shows that any reactionary initiative, no matter how well funded, can be stopped by a small group of determined people who stand on principle, tell the truth and won't be moved," she added.

"In Michigan, Ward Connerly and Jennifer Gratz's operation was found to be riddled with fraud by a U.S. Federal Judge," said George Washington, the attorney representing BAMN in its lawsuit against ACRI. "In Oklahoma, they withdrew their petitions in the face of accusations of fraud, because they knew they couldn't withstand a challenge. In Missouri, they dared not even risk a challenge by filing their petitions. Now in Arizona, home of McCain, over 40% of their signatures were found to be invalid. These con artists should not be allowed to peddle their lies and deception in any state of the nation."

For more information about how BAMN defeated Connerly in three states in 2008, go to BAMN's STOP ACRI website. To see the results of BAMN's preliminary investigation into ACRI's fraud—including video footage and notarized affidavits from whistleblowers who worked for the ACRI campaign—go to BAMN's Fraud Finder website and the new "Fingerprints of Fraud" site.