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| U.S. says Philadelphia violates voting rights | |
| 2006-10-14 | |
| (Reuters) - The city of Philadelphia has failed to provide Spanish-language ballots and other voting materials to minority voters in recent elections, in violation of federal law, the U.S. Justice Department said in a lawsuit on Friday. The government said the city had violated the rights of Spanish-speaking voters that are protected under the Voting Rights Act. "In light of the serious problems faced by minority language citizen voters in Philadelphia, we hope that city officials and the Justice Department can reach an agreement quickly to begin essential remedial measures in time for the 2006 federal elections," said Assistant Attorney General Wan Kim. Under the Voting Rights Act, jurisdictions with large populations of Spanish-speakers or other languages must provide voting materials in English as well as other predominant languages. The government's lawsuit also charges that the city of Philadelphia prevented Spanish-speaking voters from receiving assistance at voting places, which also is required by the Voting Rights Act. In July, President George W. Bush signed into law a 25-year extension of the 1965 civil rights law that aims to encourage minorities to vote. The government's complaint against Philadelphia was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. S'okay to open and ignore US Law and declare your Moonbat Welfare Haven a "Sanctuary City", but not this. *sputter* This is an outrage!
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| Posted by:.com |
| #6 My wife is originally from Puerto Vallarta. When she migrated to the US, LEGALLY, in 1984, she did not speak one word of English. She learned it fluenty in 6 months on her own. If you want to fully participate in American society, and not be relegated to the fringe, English is simply a must. Spanish language ballots are an insult, I believe, to hispanic Americans. They send the message that America will accomodate the lazy. Besides, how can you become fully informed about political events, candidates, issues, etc., while living in the US and only speaking Spanish? All of your news sources would have to be in Spanish, and from what I've sampled, they are notoriously liberal and one-sided. Although my wife's English is very good, I decided a few years back to learn Spanish, so we could speak in her native language as well as mine. But that's a matter of personal preference. The government's nationwide policy should be no ballots in a foreign language. If an non-English speaking immigrant truly wants to participate in American government, the fact that the ballot is in English would be a great incentive to learn. |
| Posted by: mcsegeek1 2006-10-14 19:39 |
| #5 I suggest a “talking ballot” capable of speaking all highly complex languages including phonetically challenging Botswana clicking noises known as "!Ju'|hoan" as a way to encourage Nambian minorities to vote. |
| Posted by: DepotGuy 2006-10-14 13:50 |
| #4 The article fails to mention that no republicans are on the ballots either. |
| Posted by: wxjames 2006-10-14 13:07 |
| #3 Bravo Philly. And, f**kem if they can't figgar out howta order Cheesesteaks. |
| Posted by: SpecOp35 2006-10-14 12:45 |
| #2 I thought CA passed that requirement yeeeears ago and then did away with it in a later ballot initiative. |
| Posted by: anon 2006-10-14 12:18 |
| #1 you had to learn at least some English to pass the test and get your papers IIRC, the Clinton Administration did away with that requirement. Needed to get more |
| Posted by: Procopius2K 2006-10-14 12:13 |