2002-10-19 12:39:23深藍
華州新聞：Bilingual ballots draw protests
最近華盛頓州因華裔選民人數到達一個特定程度,因此華州開始印製中文選票與解說冊子,希望能爭取更多華裔選民的參與度,然而此一舉動似乎引起不同程度的反應或反彈?以下為轉載網址：
http://www.msnbc.com/local/PISEA/91756.asp
Bilingual ballots draw protests
【By JOHN IWASAKI
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER】
Oct. 18 - A federal requirement to provide foreign-language ballots in four Washington counties to increase voter participation has produced mixed results in the fall elections and triggered an outcry among citizens opposed to bilingual ballots.
”If they can’t read English, they shouldn’t be citizens” is one of the milder responses received by election officials in King County, where voting materials are being offered for the first time in Chinese.
Other comments run from the profane to the historically challenged.
”One person said, ’Didn’t we win World War II?’ I think they got their participants in World War II confused,” said Julie Anne Kempf, King County elections superintendent.
Under the federal Voting Rights Act, foreign-language ballots must be provided when the census shows more than 10,000 people or more than 5 percent of the voting-age population in a single language group in a defined area, usually a county, don’t speak English well.
King County met the threshold for Chinese-speaking citizens, as did three Eastern Washington counties -- Yakima, Franklin and Adams -- for those who speak primarily Spanish.
Only 24 people in King County requested Chinese ballots in the Sept. 17 primary election. In Yakima County, 560 people used Spanish ballots. Franklin and Adams counties offered bilingual ballots, so elections officials there were uncertain how many Spanish-speaking voters benefited.
Susanna Chung, president of the Seattle chapter of the Organization of Chinese Americans, said her group and several others that serve Asian Americans will work with King County to increase Chinese voter participation.
”There should have been over 10,000 eligible voters that would need that service. How come we’re not seeing that in the results of the election?” she asked. ”It could be that (they didn’t know) this was available, or we just need them to register. . . . All these things need to be studied and analyzed.”
Chung said the notice that Chinese-language voting materials was available was ”buried” on the third page of the county’s voting pamphlet.
”Anyone who does not read English would easily toss it without knowing there was something inside for them,” she said.
Chung also said that most polling places in the county did not post signs in Chinese, identify translators or display translated voting materials, according to a community poll-monitoring survey.
Kempf said the low use of Chinese ballots could be attributed to several factors. The Department of Justice notified the county only in early August that it must provide translated materials, she said, and her department worked with Chung’s organization to spread the word.
The fact that only two dozen Chinese ballots were requested ”does not mean just 24 participated in the program,” Kempf said. The county received about 150 requests for information in Chinese, so she believes that many citizens used translated materials to help understand the issues or candidates, but returned their regular absentee ballot.
Although Kempf does not believe the program increased voter turnout among Chinese speakers -- ”I think they’re already pretty active in the community,” she said -- it gave voters ”a better, broader understanding of the issues.”
In Yakima County, which last was required to provide Spanish ballots in the 1970s, the request for 560 ballots for the primary election was ”a great starting number,” Auditor Corky Mattingly said.
But her office received a torrent of negative responses to a postcard it sent to all 90,000 registered voters in the county that asked if they wanted voting materials in Spanish. Many scrawled responses were unprintable.
”There are a lot of supporters of English-only,” Mattingly said. ”They told us what we could do with our survey cards.”
Even some Hispanics respectfully said that voting materials should be only in English, she said.
Kempf said numerous critics in King County asserted ”the mistaken belief that English is the official language of the United States, which it isn’t.”
”We received everything from citizens expressing (opposition) respectfully, but firmly, to really, really racist, hate-filled messages sent anonymously,” she said.
Other complaints were about the cost of offering translated materials, including a separate Chinese ballot. Kempf said she hasn’t received the bills yet.
In Adams and Franklin counties, the printing costs did not increase because a bilingual ballot was used.
National critics of foreign-language voting materials question whether information is being translated accurately, saying errors were found in some states.
”The larger question is, it’s helpful to have a government that functions in one language,” said Jim Boulet Jr., executive director of English First, a Virginia-based lobbying group that claims 150,000 members.
”People are free to do what they’re going to do, but government can and should set an example by encouraging assimilation.”
Chung said that professional services are used to translate voter information. As for whether government should be offering foreign-language ballots, she and Kempf say the government already accommodates voters who have special needs, such as providing Braille ballots for the blind.
”It’s just another aide to help eligible people to exercise their rights,” Chung said.
P-I reporter John Iwasaki can be reached at 206-448-8096 or johniwasaki@seattlepi.com
http://www.msnbc.com/local/PISEA/91756.asp
Bilingual ballots draw protests
【By JOHN IWASAKI
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER】
Oct. 18 - A federal requirement to provide foreign-language ballots in four Washington counties to increase voter participation has produced mixed results in the fall elections and triggered an outcry among citizens opposed to bilingual ballots.
”If they can’t read English, they shouldn’t be citizens” is one of the milder responses received by election officials in King County, where voting materials are being offered for the first time in Chinese.
Other comments run from the profane to the historically challenged.
”One person said, ’Didn’t we win World War II?’ I think they got their participants in World War II confused,” said Julie Anne Kempf, King County elections superintendent.
Under the federal Voting Rights Act, foreign-language ballots must be provided when the census shows more than 10,000 people or more than 5 percent of the voting-age population in a single language group in a defined area, usually a county, don’t speak English well.
King County met the threshold for Chinese-speaking citizens, as did three Eastern Washington counties -- Yakima, Franklin and Adams -- for those who speak primarily Spanish.
Only 24 people in King County requested Chinese ballots in the Sept. 17 primary election. In Yakima County, 560 people used Spanish ballots. Franklin and Adams counties offered bilingual ballots, so elections officials there were uncertain how many Spanish-speaking voters benefited.
Susanna Chung, president of the Seattle chapter of the Organization of Chinese Americans, said her group and several others that serve Asian Americans will work with King County to increase Chinese voter participation.
”There should have been over 10,000 eligible voters that would need that service. How come we’re not seeing that in the results of the election?” she asked. ”It could be that (they didn’t know) this was available, or we just need them to register. . . . All these things need to be studied and analyzed.”
Chung said the notice that Chinese-language voting materials was available was ”buried” on the third page of the county’s voting pamphlet.
”Anyone who does not read English would easily toss it without knowing there was something inside for them,” she said.
Chung also said that most polling places in the county did not post signs in Chinese, identify translators or display translated voting materials, according to a community poll-monitoring survey.
Kempf said the low use of Chinese ballots could be attributed to several factors. The Department of Justice notified the county only in early August that it must provide translated materials, she said, and her department worked with Chung’s organization to spread the word.
The fact that only two dozen Chinese ballots were requested ”does not mean just 24 participated in the program,” Kempf said. The county received about 150 requests for information in Chinese, so she believes that many citizens used translated materials to help understand the issues or candidates, but returned their regular absentee ballot.
Although Kempf does not believe the program increased voter turnout among Chinese speakers -- ”I think they’re already pretty active in the community,” she said -- it gave voters ”a better, broader understanding of the issues.”
In Yakima County, which last was required to provide Spanish ballots in the 1970s, the request for 560 ballots for the primary election was ”a great starting number,” Auditor Corky Mattingly said.
But her office received a torrent of negative responses to a postcard it sent to all 90,000 registered voters in the county that asked if they wanted voting materials in Spanish. Many scrawled responses were unprintable.
”There are a lot of supporters of English-only,” Mattingly said. ”They told us what we could do with our survey cards.”
Even some Hispanics respectfully said that voting materials should be only in English, she said.
Kempf said numerous critics in King County asserted ”the mistaken belief that English is the official language of the United States, which it isn’t.”
”We received everything from citizens expressing (opposition) respectfully, but firmly, to really, really racist, hate-filled messages sent anonymously,” she said.
Other complaints were about the cost of offering translated materials, including a separate Chinese ballot. Kempf said she hasn’t received the bills yet.
In Adams and Franklin counties, the printing costs did not increase because a bilingual ballot was used.
National critics of foreign-language voting materials question whether information is being translated accurately, saying errors were found in some states.
”The larger question is, it’s helpful to have a government that functions in one language,” said Jim Boulet Jr., executive director of English First, a Virginia-based lobbying group that claims 150,000 members.
”People are free to do what they’re going to do, but government can and should set an example by encouraging assimilation.”
Chung said that professional services are used to translate voter information. As for whether government should be offering foreign-language ballots, she and Kempf say the government already accommodates voters who have special needs, such as providing Braille ballots for the blind.
”It’s just another aide to help eligible people to exercise their rights,” Chung said.
P-I reporter John Iwasaki can be reached at 206-448-8096 or johniwasaki@seattlepi.com