Language Assistance Voting Rights
Historically, individuals who are not proficient in English have been less likely to vote than other American citizens. Congress found that this is in part because language barriers and discrimination have excluded these citizens from participation in the electoral process. But many provisions of federal law now protect the voting rights of those Americans who do not understand English as well as others.
Federal law recognizes that many Americans require information in languages other than English in order to be informed voters and participate in our representative democracy. The keystone of these federal laws, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 [P.L. 89-110], makes it illegal to discriminate based on someone's language proficiency.
Individuals with Limited English Proficiency Have the Right to Bring a Family Member or Friend to Assist Them in the Polling Booth. On Election Day, individuals who are not proficient in English have the right to bring a family member or friend into the polling booth to help interpret the ballot and other election materials. However, many voters and election workers are unaware that this is the law.
Certain Jurisdictions are Required to Provide Bilingual Voting Assistance. The Voting Rights Act (42 U.S.C. 1973aa-1a) further protects the rights of individuals living in jurisdictions that have a large percentage of language minorities. Depending on the state or county, the Act may require bilingual election procedures in one or more of the following languages: Spanish, Chinese, Filipino languages, Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean, or more than a dozen Native American and Alaskan Native languages. Covered jurisdictions are required to provide several forms of language assistance, including translated election materials, bilingual ballots, and oral assistance.
Additional Resources
