Transcript Document
Language Assistance for Spanish-Speaking Voters
Best Practices for Inclusive and Accessible
Elections
Prepared for NACRC Legislative Conference
March 3, 2012
Washington, DC
Rosalind Gold, Senior Director of Policy, Research and Advocacy
[email protected]
Language Assistance Requirements of VRA for Spanish-speaking
Voters
The Voting Rights Act has three
provisions that mandate language
assistance Spanish-speaking voters:
Section 4(e) of the original Act
creates requirements for
jurisdictions with significant
Puerto Rican populations
In the 1975 amendments:
Section 4(f)(4)
Section 203
Section 4(f)(4) Coverage
Section 4(f)(4) requires coverage for
jurisdictions that
provided only English-language
voting/registration materials in 1972;
had relatively low voter registration
rates; and
significant language minority
populations.
Section 4(f)(4) coverage for Spanishspeaking voters:
Texas and Arizona, in entirety
12 counties/townships in four other
states
Section 203 Coverage
A jurisdiction is covered under Section 203 when:
more than 5 percent of the U.S. citizens of voting
age of the jurisdiction are members of a single
language minority and are limited-English
proficient;
more than 10,000 of the U.S. citizens of voting age
of the jurisdiction are members of a single language
minority and are limited-English proficient; or
in the case of a jurisdiction subdivision that
contains all or any part of an Indian reservation,
more than
5 percent of the American Indian or Alaska Native
U.S. citizens of voting age within the Indian
arerate
members
a single
language
reservation
The illiteracy
of the of
group
is higher
than the national illiteracy rate (illiteracy rate is
generally
by the level of
education).
minority determined
and are limited-English
proficient;
and
Updated Section 203 determinations are now made on the basis of American Community
Survey data
Language Assistance Required by Section 203
All voting materials must be provided in Spanish:
Voter registration materials
Voting notices (such as information about location
and hours for polling places, opportunities to register
and registration deadlines)
Voting materials provided by mail
All election forms
Polling place materials and activities
Publicity
Ballots
Language Assistance Required by Section 203
Oral instructions and assistance must
be available at every stage of the
process.
Language assistance requirements
cover all elections, regardless of the
type.
Language assistance does not need to
be provided to every citizen in the
jurisdiction; the jurisdiction can target
language minority citizens,
Section 203 Coverage for Spanish in 2011 Determinations
“Emerging Communities” Now Covered under Section 203
Some of the more notable jurisdictions now covered for
Spanish are located in areas that are not “traditional” Latino
population centers:
Aleutians East Borough, Alaska
Fairfax County, Virginia (metropolitan Washington, D.C.
area)
Salt Lake County, Utah
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Best Practices for Language Assistance to Latino Citizens
Election officials must make providing quality language assistance a top
priority for their office
Language assistance efforts must be integrated effectively in the overall voter
outreach/voter education program of the elections office
The staff assigned to the language assistance program must be very
knowledgeable about/familiar with the needs of the language assistance
community:
Harris County, Texas: County clerk’s office has one Voter Outreach
Coordinator for each language minority/under-represented community:
Latino, Vietnamese, Chinese, African American
Orange County, California: Also has outreach staff specifically dedicated
to each language minority community; outreach staff work year-round, and
Best Practices for Language Assistance to Latino Citizens
Translation of Materials
Translation services provider should possess the
knowledge/experience with the Spanish-language
differences of the Latino national or sub-groups
of the jurisdiction (such as Mexican, Puerto Rican,
Salvadoran, Cuban, Dominican)
Ideally, staff or community members who are
familiar with those differences should also
review materials
Careful proofreading and quality control for translated materials is critical
The jurisdiction may have requirements about the type of and services which may
be used.
For statewide ballot measures or matters, jurisdictions may save costs by
encouraging state election office to provide translation that can be used in every
Best Practices for Language Assistance to Latino Citizens
Pollworker Recruitment
Outreach through Spanish-language media, including civic affairs programming
and public service announcements to educate public about pollworker opportunities
Small community newspapers that serve language minority neighborhoods
Work with your community working group to identify opportunities and
organizations to help with recruitment:
Community and civic organizations;
Ethnic chambers of commerce or other
business groups
Government agencies that allow staff to take
time off on Election Day
College students (particularly those involved
in studies related to political science, civics,
social studies, or those seeking community service opportunities)
Best Practices for Language Assistance to Latino Citizens
Voter Information and Education: Hotlines
Callers should be able to easily reach individual who can provide
language assistance – direct phone line to bilingual staff is ideal
Transferring callers several times, or telling them to call back is
very ineffective
Automated systems should be checked
periodically to ensure that prompts work
and recorded information is up-to-date
Have community members call hotline from
time to monitor responsiveness of operators or automated system
Best Practices for Language Assistance to Latino Citizens
Voter Information and Education: Websites
Ideally, Spanish-language website should “fully-mirror” English-language site –
if the information is provided in English, it should be provided in Spanish;
http://www.es.votespa.com/portal/server.pt/community/home/13514/home/587980
Best Practices for Language Assistance to Latino Citizens
Voter Information and Education: Websites
Voters should be able to easily find link to Spanish-language site.
Many voters who need language assistance are new to the electoral process, and
need basic information about all aspects of registration and voting. Particularly
useful features:
Polling place locators
Election calendars and early voting information
Vote-by-mail application and information
Mobile access
Voter registration materials and status confirmation (re-registering after move)
Sample ballot lookup tool
Common election terms
Lists of Elected officials
Provisional ballot status
Information on how to use voting equipment
Best Practices for Language Assistance to Latino Citizens
http://www.votehillsborough.org/?id=2&spanish=Y
Best Practices for Language Assistance to Latino Citizens
Community Working Groups
Regular convening of community members
who provide guidance and assistance to election
officials on voter outreach, education and
accessibility issues
Working group should be able to meet with staff that can take
action to address issues raised by stakeholders
Community members can be active partners in developing
solutions to challenges
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