When Congress was preparing to add Section 203's language assistance requirements to the Voting Rights Act, some lawmakers did consider a wider scope of coverage.
Language minority status was determined with a record of discrimination Some scholars classify Arabic as an "Afro-Asiatic" language group, but the bureau does not, categorizing it not among Asian languages, but "All other languages."Īs for Haitian Creole - which was at the center of a voting rights lawsuit in Florida's Miami-Dade County after the 2000 election - the bureau considers it an Indo-European language, and its speakers do not fall within the protected language minority groups under Section 203. census sees Middle Eastern and North African people as white. This is something that we need to see in order to see inclusiveness in all levels and with all demographics." Why Arabic and Haitian Creole speakers are not coveredĪccording to Section 203, the protected language minority groups are limited to "persons who are American Indian, Asian American, Alaskan Natives or of Spanish heritage." "We need to continue fighting for having more languages included in the electoral process as well. "Information is power, right?" says Marvin Hernandez, regional manager of Virginia elections for CASA in Action, an advocacy group focused on mobilizing immigrants. households, some voting rights advocates have been calling for the federal government to expand its requirements for multilingual election information. With Arabic, Haitian Creole and other languages that are not protected by Section 203 becoming more common among U.S. There's also growth in the areas required to help voters in Bengali, Chinese, Hmong, Tagalog and Vietnamese. The latest list, released in December, shows that the federal mandate for American Indian language assistance has reached five additional states and coverage for Spanish was added to Ohio's Cuyahoga County. defines racial and ethnic groups by 2024Įxactly where the federal government requires multilingual election information is determined by the Census Bureau, which uses complicated formulas involving English proficiency and educational attainment rates to produce an updated list every five years. Race Biden officials may change how the U.S. "Some of the people, they don't have at home someone to translate," says Mohammed, who grew up in Yemen and has taken English classes at the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services in Dearborn, Mich. In 2020, she wanted to cast a ballot in the presidential election and turned to a neighbor and a cousin for help. citizens with limited proficiency in English, like Mohammed, on their own when trying to vote.
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And for close to half a century, Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act has required certain states and local governments to provide voting ballots, registration forms and other election materials in more than just English.īut not all languages are covered by Section 203's protections.Īnd that has often left Arabic-speaking U.S. In 1975, Congress expanded that landmark civil rights law to try to get rid of barriers preventing "citizens of language minorities" from voting. While there is no federal requirement for Arabic-language ballots, the city of Dearborn recently started requiring election materials to be translated into Arabic.Īmong the language minority groups protected under the Voting Rights Act, you won't find voters like Shaima Mohammed. Volunteers take part in a 2004 voter outreach event in Dearborn, Mich., organized by the Arab American Institute.
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