Affirmative action programs, which enable colleges and universities to consider ethnicity and race as a factor for admissions, are considerably popular among the American public according to a 2017 Pew report, with 71% of Americans expressing support. Among Democrats, 84% of voters are supportive of affirmative action. Republicans are more split, with approximately half supporting and half opposing affirmative action programs. Neither of the 2016 party platforms take an explicit stance on the topic.
Affirmative action is a set of procedures intended to redress unlawful discrimination and prevent future discrimination. A recently Supreme Court ruling made affirmative action unlawful in college admissions.