House Backs Right to Non-English Ballots

[Rose Siding]

(AP) The House agreed Wednesday to affirm the right of voters in areas with large populations of non-English-speaking citizens to cast ballots in their native language.

The 254-167 roll call in support of bilingual balloting came just a week after GOP divisions over the issue contributed to the postponement of a House vote to renew the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act.

"If you have the good fortune to be able to vote in the United States, then it is not too much to ask that this be accomplished in English," said Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla. "I don't think the United States government should be forced to pay for (bilingual) assistance."
...
Supporters of non-English ballots reminded colleagues that only U.S. citizens are able to vote and that even those whose native language is English have difficulty with complex ballot initiatives, much less those who learned the language after coming to this country.

An overwhelming majority of Democrats joined with slightly fewer than one-third of House Republicans to reject Stearns' amendment.

Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said taking away the right to bilingual ballots would "allow states and localities to discriminate against taxpaying American citizens because of their language ability and impede their right to vote. That is wrong."

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/06/29/ap/politics/mainD8IHK4D00.shtml

This wasn't the real issue behind not renewing the Voting Rights Act. -Or did a third of the gop change their minds in a week?

[dubeskin]

1. Wow. 167!!!

How the f**k could you be so stupid?! Oh well, at least it passed, with some nice KKK'ers.

[Sapere aude]

2. There is no G D law that says that English is the American language

There is no American language. Spanish is as American as English. If you don't happen to speak English you should not be punished for it. My grandmother never learned English. People who speak English have no more rights than those who don't.

Spending money to print ballots in another language is no more unfair or illegal than printing them in English. English only bigots are just that, bigots!

[Ragin_mad]

3. But they are required to know the English language before citizenship

So why should the government spend the extra money to print 2 ballots ?

[Bridget Burke]

4. As a native born English speaker....

I can have real problems deciphering the "Propositions" that show up on the ballot. Not to mention the unending Amendments to the Texas Constitution.

What about the instructions? They can be confusing--but some people want voters to become confused.

People have to learn English to become citizens. But that's the everyday language--not the "English" that sometimes appears on the ballot.

Here in Harris County, ballots come in 3 languages: English, Spanish & Vietnamese!

[Cybergata]

6. People always seem to forget that the Southwest has ...

a lot of people who were born citizens of the U.S. who still come from Spanish speaking families. Luckily, in New Mexico where it is especially true, we declared ourselves a bilingual state when we wrote our state Constitution.

The U.S. is supposed to be democratic < :rofl: > and how can it be democratic if the people can't understand what they are voting for.

[w4rma]

5. Because it's not very expensive. (nt)