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Home Front: Politix
Judge orders Florida to provide Spanish-language ballots
2018-09-08
[The Hill] A federal judge in Florida issued a ruling on Friday directing 32 county election officials to provide Spanish-language ballots, a move that could help more than 30,000 Puerto Ricans in the state vote.

Reuters reported that Chief Judge Mark Walker of the federal court in Tallahassee ruled that failing to help eligible voters is likely a violation of the Voting Rights Act.

"Puerto Ricans are American citizens," Walker wrote, according to Reuters. "Unique among Americans, they are not educated primarily in English ‐ and do not need to be. But, like all American citizens, they possess the fundamental right to vote."

The decision comes after several non-profit groups sued Florida’s Secretary of State Kenneth Detzner and the elections supervisor of 32 counties. The groups called for the specific counties to offer bilingual ballots and assistance for non English-speakers, with a focus on the growing population of Puerto Ricans in the state, including those displaced from last year's Hurricane Maria. After Hurricane Maria, more than 56,000 Puerto Ricans reportedly resettled in Florida.

In his ruling, Walker ordered Detzner to direct election officials to print sample Spanish ballots that mirror their English counterparts, HuffPost reported. He also ruled that election supervisors must provide the sample ballots and polling places with posted notices.

Sarah Revell, a spokeswoman for Detzner (R) told HuffPost that the Secretary of State would order election officials to comply with the ruling.

Reuters noted that the decision from Walker could be significant given Florida's reputation as a swing state.

It could be additionally impactful with the amount of Puerto Ricans who were displaced by Hurricane Maria living in the state.

"Florida is the world’s greatest melting pot, and we don’t want any registered voters to not be able to exercise their right because of a language barrier," John Tupps, a spokesman for Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R), told Reuters.
Posted by:Besoeker

#8  They ARE US citizens and are free to move to any US state where they do have the right to vote, with no requirement to learn enough English to pass the citizenship test.
Posted by: Glenmore   2018-09-08 19:04  

#7  If someone doesn't understand English, how do they get their information on candidates and issues to vote? If someone is only able to read Spanish venues that I believe may be biased to one frame of thought, not being able to get information from several sources for a good understanding, only printing the ballots in Spanish does a disservice. How about educating people in America to understand English so all can participate making that important informed choice.
Posted by: Jan   2018-09-08 15:33  

#6  Residents of Puerto Rico which is a U.S. territory do not have the right to vote, nor do they pay taxes. There is no need for a ballot in Spanish for anyone who has no right to vote.
Posted by: warthogswife   2018-09-08 14:32  

#5  I find it reasonable to require Spanish language ballots, in Florida or anywhere else, because Spanish is the native language of a block of US citizens - from Puerto Rico. Naturalized citizens from other Spanish-language countries are incidental beneficiaries.
Posted by: Glenmore   2018-09-08 13:22  

#4  Not that big a deal. You still need a FL drivers license or non-driver ID card, passport or CCW card (can you dig it?) to vote. Anyone who has any of those has proven residency in the process and really should be allowed to vote.
Posted by: M. Murcek   2018-09-08 11:16  

#3  How about these Spanish-speaking people be required to be citizens and learn English before they can vote in our elections?
Posted by: JohnQC   2018-09-08 10:19  

#2  Wunderbar.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2018-09-08 03:41  

#1  Yes, an Obama judicial appointee.
Posted by: Besoeker   2018-09-08 02:10  

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