When you receive your sample ballot for the 2008 general election, it will be printed in both English and Spanish. Did you ever stop to wonder why? A poll by the Las Vegas Review Journal last year showed that 77 percent of the Nevadans surveyed, thought ballots and other official state documents should be printed only in English. If they had asked me, I would have told them the same thing.
Printing ballots in languages other than English seems illogical for several reasons, besides being a waste of taxpayers’ money. So why do the local election departments do it? It turns out that – like many other unpopular, illogical and wasteful programs – this one is mandated by the federal government.
It started out with the Voting Rights Act of 1965, enacted to prevent states from denying black Americans the right to vote. In 1975, Congress greatly expanded the scope of the Act by extending its protections to “language minorities.” It didn’t apply to all people who spoke other languages; it covered only American Indians, Asians, Alaska natives, and people who spoke Spanish. States and counties are now required to provide ballot and election materials in a language other than English if more than 5 percent of their population consists of one of these “language minorities.” If they fail to do so, the state could be accused of violating the voters’ civil rights.
In 2000, President Clinton’s Executive Order 13166 went even further, declaring the inability to speak English a protected civil right. Not only did it extend the earlier protections to all foreign languages, from Swedish to Swahili, but it extended them from voting to most other public services. Now people can demand translation services (at taxpayers’ expense) for everything from court appearances to driver’s license exams. If an entity fails to provide those services, the federal government can withhold funding for infrastructure improvements, roads, law enforcement support and even disaster relief.
People applying to become U.S. citizens have to demonstrate an understanding of English, including the ability to read, write and speak it. If we assume that people have learned enough English to pass the citizenship test, why are we providing them with ballots in a language other than English? If these new citizens don’t know enough English to read a ballot or to understand directions to a polling place, maybe we need to take another look at our citizenship exams.
Bilingual ballots in Nevada don’t cost a lot of money if you consider them as a percentage of the budget. However, the principle involved here is the most important thing. Legislation that requires printing ballots and other government documents in languages other than English are helping to divide our country into enclaves separated by language.
When immigrants in the 1800s and 1900s came to America, they created the great melting pot of this land by finding a common language they could all speak, whether they came from Russia, China, Mexico or Egypt. By learning a common language, they were able to speak to each other and build a common culture. No matter what language they spoke at home, they learned to speak English to prove they were Americans and they insisted that their children learn English as soon as possible.
Providing government-funded assistance for translations into other languages may make things easier for people in the short run, but by taking away an incentive to learn English, it prevents them from joining mainstream America. Those who can’t speak English have limited opportunities for jobs, economic advancement, and political power. However, those who don’t speak English well and are stuck at the bottom rung of the economic ladder also vote overwhelmingly for Democrats. Did I mention that both Voting Rights measures were passed by a majority Democrat Congress? And the executive order was signed by a Democrat president?
Ballots in Nevada are printed in only two languages now, but in Southern California and other places with a more diverse population, ballots are in multiple languages. How many official languages can a country have before it starts to come apart? A common language is the glue that holds us together. After you cast your ballot and the election is over, take a few minutes to let your Senators and Congressional representatives know how you feel about this matter.
