Posted on 09/16/2007 10:53:00 AM PDT by Kid Shelleen
does anybody know when multi lingual ballots started?
Don’t you think that somebody who can legally vote should know enough English to read a ballot? I had 2 semesters of spanish 25 years ago and I can read a ballot in Spanish.. When I go to Mexico I brush up on my Spanish enough to undertand the basics..
I am fine with all the mutl language media but people should learn the language basics of the country they reside IMHO.
I think the multi-lingual ballots are printed for the bond issues, and state/local law changes, not the elections. Some of the propositions and law changes are detailed and contain a lot of information. Those are always included after the election choices. You probably couldn’t understand those in Spanish.
Personally, I believe that if you want to vote in the election you should be able to read English, but I think the fear is that some that do not fully understand the language will vote in the election, and then choose randomly on the things they do not understand. I don’t know for sure, but that is what I have heard.
It is fairly easy to pick up the basics of a language, but it takes a long time to become fluent enough to converse. As a paramedic, I come into contact with many immigrants, legal and illegal. almost all of them can speak minimal English. Very few can speak enough to get their point across clearly, and also understand mine. English is a very tough language to learn, much more difficult than Spanish.
http://www.harrisvotes.com/Sample_Ballot/Spanish/040515/sampleballotengspanish.htm
This is one that I found very quickly, but it is a good one to show the initiatives that are included.
The current requirement dates back to a 1975 amendment to the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Back in the 19th century, before widespread anti-immigrant sentiment, people with limited English skills were citizens and did vote -- I'm not sure if there were multilingual ballots or they were allowed to bring a translator with them. In all likelihood, community leaders and party bosses walked them trough it.
I'm currently reading Goodwin's "Team of Rivals," and at least as far back as 1860, the German-American immigrant community was a key part of the Republican coalition. In his efforts to build a national following, Lincoln had to balance them against the nativist former know-nothings, without driving either away.
Your experience may be typical of the East coast. Brazil and P.R. are far away across the ocean. In L.A., there are constant cultural ties and the border is three hours South. Families are constantly going back and forth across the border, both visiting and financially supporting the folks "back home". Most of the ones I meet are not interested in becoming "Americans". They want to be "Mexicanos", earn what they can and game the system for the rest.
I'm not speaking out of my hat here either. I lived for 9 years in the East LA barrio of Lincoln Heights, about 8 block from "La Plaza de la Raza". Literally everyone else living on our block were 1st and 2nd generation Mexican or Chinese immigrant. A few of the 2nd generation neighbors spoke broken English at best, having never left the barrio except when visiting Mexico. The majority of rest were bilingual, but usually made a game of "no habla" to mess with the "gringos". A very few, such as our landlord, were fluent and used English first. They were the only ones who were making anything of themselves.
Except for the elderly man who lived downstairs, I don't think I ever saw a first generation Mexican speaking English to their children in public. That gentleman was old school, as you describe; a proud naturalized citizen, who spoke bitterly of his son, who had returned to Mexico, and would drill hid grandkids in English when they would visit.
LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (who abandoned his wife and children to blank
Telemundo TV anchor) is Hillary's campaign co-chair.
LA Mayor Villaraigosa, Bill Clinton.
"Psst! Antonio. Come on, give me the phone number of that Telemundo chick you been blanking....or you're off the campaign."
"Her cha chas belongs to me Billy. BTW, have you met my dentist?"
Interesting; Kind of ironic that you have to know those details of the Texas constitution no matter what language you vote in
What is the Spanish translation for: “If the politicians lips are moving, you know they are lying”?
I think Hillary! knows where to mine for illegal votes. I am absolutely sure that hundreds of thousands of illegals vote. In California there is Motor-voter. If you tick a box on your DMV application, you are automatically registered to vote. The Dems passed it several years ago. This of course relies on your honesty that you are actually a citizen and entitled to vote. Hillary! will certainly carry California with the bulk of Hispanics manipulated into thinking she will govern differently than she really will.
I would imagine that the number of voters that could understand the issue completely on the Spanish ballot, but not at all on the English ballot is pretty small.
Hillary is sucking up to every illegal latino voting bloc from here to Honduras. She’ll OWE them bigtime.
Bill’s pardon of the vicious Puerto Rican FALN to help her Senate campaign is a a glimpse of things to come.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.