Democrats oppose initiative attacking affirmative action

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By DON WALTON / Lincoln Journal Star

FREMONT — Nebraska Democrats Sunday declared their opposition to the initiative proposal to eliminate affirmative action programs.

They also declared their support for a hand count of ballots in election recounts.

Those were two of the resolutions adopted by a dwindling number of delegates at the closing session of the party’s state convention.

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Steve Achelpohl, State Chair for the Nebraska Democratic Party, greets United States Senate Candidate Scott Kleeb during the Nebraska Democratic State Convention at Midland Lutheran College in Fremont, Sunday morning. (Chris Bristol)

Steve Achelpohl, State Chair for the Nebraska Democratic Party, greets United States Senate Candidate Scott Kleeb during the Nebraska Democratic State Convention at Midland Lutheran College in Fremont, Sunday morning. (Chris Bristol)

Decisions on the party platform and resolutions were made by perhaps one-fifth of the delegates who had been on hand for a full day of convention activities on Saturday.

The convention also adopted a resolution endorsing labor legislation that allows employees to gain union recognition without a vote if more than 50 percent of workers sign cards seeking representation.

Delegates added a couple of immigration-friendly elements to the platform.

The convention called for “a reasonable path to citizenship” as a piece of comprehensive immigration reform. Although the language is less explicit, that proposal essentially endorses reform legislation in Congress that provides “a pathway to legal status” for illegal immigrants already settled in the United States.

Delegates also expressed their support for the state law that allows all graduates of Nebraska high schools, including the children of illegal immigrants who are settled here, to qualify for resident college tuition rates.

Senate nominee Scott Kleeb urged Democrats to recognize the historic opportunity they and the nation confront this election year.

“This is our moment,” he said.

“It takes a long time to get to this moment.”

At stake, he said, are health care reform, education reform, economic programs, a renewed commitment to working families and the opportunity to “reinvest in science and technology that has made us strong.”

Earlier, the newly-elected Nebraska delegation to the Democratic national convention held its first caucus and ratified committee assignments recommended by Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential campaign.

State Sen. Tom White of Omaha will be Nebraska’s representative on the national platform committee.

Other selections: Ian Russell, Rules Committee: Jenn Mikkelsen, Credentials Committee.

Sen. Ben Nelson was elected honorary chairman of the 31-member Nebraska delegation.

State Sen. DiAnna Schimek of Lincoln argued against the resolution authorizing recounts by hand rather than by the same optical scanners that counted the vote in the first place.

The machines are consistent, she said, whereas a hand recount examining the voter machine paper trail could lead to the kind of human disputes and subjective judgments that created chaos in Florida in 2000.

“We may be asking for more trouble than it’s worth,” she said.

But Gerry Finnegan of Lincoln said he observed first-hand how optical scanners did not count some votes in the 1990 Democratic gubernatorial primary election because of misalignments and varying degrees of sensitivity to stray marks.

That recount in a contest in which Ben Nelson defeated Bill Hoppner by 43 votes statewide clearly demonstrated to him that machines do not count all the votes and a recount by hand is essential in a tight race, Finnegan said.

The resolution was adopted on a voice vote.

Initiative petitioners seek to erase the affirmative action program in place at the University of Nebraska.

If the issue reaches the ballot, it not only will be a blow to diversity and opportunity, Preston Love of Omaha said.

“This initiative would bring out the element (of voters) that would vote against our candidates,” Love said.

Reach Don Walton at 473-7248 or at dwalton@journalstar.com.