Mo. anti-affirmative action petition back for 2010

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Critics of state affirmative action programs will try again in 2010 to get Missourians to approve a constitutional amendment banning them.

The secretary of state's office announced Thursday that it had approved for circulation a proposed ballot measure restricting affirmative action programs in public contracting, employment and education.

Ballot measure supporters must collect from six of the state's nine congressional districts signatures totaling at least 8 percent of the votes in this year's gubernatorial election.

There was an attempt to get an anti-affirmative action measure on this year's ballot, but supporters never submitted their signatures.

Voters in Nebraska this year approved similar affirmative action restrictions while they were rejected in Colorado.