Bilingual Ballots?
Posted By Chinatown Blogger On July 25, 2008 @ 3:31 pm In WORD ON THE STREET | 2 Comments
The last time we had written about the bilingual ballot question was when the Boston City Council passed a [1] home rule petition back on May 14, 2008. We will summarize what the issue is and what is happening now.
The Chinese Progressive Association had filed a complaint in 2003 with the Department of Justice (DOJ) that some voters in Chinatown had their rights violated while inside the polling booths. (The Blogger had heard stories that ballots were altered by poll booth workers, taking advantage of the limited-English skills of some voters, or the elderly being coerced to vote for a certain candidate.) The City of Boston and the DOJ reached a compromise to include Chinese, Vietnamese and Spanish ballots available to voters if requested at the polling booth. The agreement was to end in 2008.
In 2007, Secretary of State Galvin opposed continuing bilingual ballots. Galvin claimed that the translations were inaccurate and would increase costs to the state. The Chinatown community petitioned the City of Boston, the City Council and Mayor Menino to request a home-rule petition from the state. The home-rule petition would allow for bilingual ballots to exist in the City of Boston, but not statewide. The City Council passed the bill unanimously and was signed by Mayor Menino.The bill is currently stalled in the State House of Representatives in the Rules Committee. Time is important as more delays will mean there will be no bilingual ballots for this election year. The past 2 weeks, some Chinatown residents and activists have been waiting outside Chinatown Rep. and House Speaker Sal DiMasi’s office in the State House as well as holding all-day vigils outsides to get the bill moving. While Speaker DiMasi has expressed support, Secretary of State Galvin has also gathered his supporters against the bill.
State Senator Dianne Wilkerson, who represents Chinatown and has been an advocate for the community is seeking to broker a compromise. A possible scenario may involve having bilingual sample ballots available, but the sample ballots cannot be used to vote and can only be used as a reference.
2 Comments To "Bilingual Ballots?"
#1 Comment By cathyj On August 1, 2008 @ August 1, 2008
Do you agree with the argument, which I think I saw in the Sampan, that Chinese speakers read transliterated names in Chinese-language newspapers all the time, so the fear of confusion is a canard? (I think I’m using canard right.)
#2 Comment By Chinatown Blogger On August 1, 2008 @ August 1, 2008
That is true that the Chinese newspapers have been using transliterated names. The transliteration is to match the tone of the English word as close as possible, rather than giving the translation. Most Chinese readers understand the difference. The same is true for English transliteration of Chinese names. For example, a common last name in Chinese “Wong”, can also be spelled in English as Wang, Huang or even Whang. Galvin has taken this fight personally and has fought really hard to end this issue. The larger question comes down to: Should voting be an exclusive right for a few citizens, or could voting be broadened to include more citizens?
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[1] home rule petition: http://bostonchinatowngateway.com/archives/291
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