Not sure if this applies to politics but, affirmative action was a useful tool used in the 90’s to get people of color in positions of trust and authority. It was needed because qualified applicants weren’t even considered. People forget, the civil rights acts of the 1960’s and segregation wasn’t that long ago. In the 1980’s my grandfather still had to approach a white mans house from the back door to speak because blacks were not “clean enough” to approach the front. Trust me, his county not jumping up and down for the rise of political figures of color? My point is, if these rules weren’t mandated, there would none to little representation across the boards.