Fairfax County General :
Fairfax Underground
Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
Fairfax required to provide election info in Spanish - Census Bureau mandates move for jurisdictions with large Hispanic communities
Posted by:
Vote for Pedro?
()
Date: October 23, 2011 08:08AM
Fairfax required to provide election info in Spanish
Census Bureau mandates move for jurisdictions with large Hispanic communities
by Kali Schumitz, Staff Writer
http://www.fairfaxtimes.com/article/20111020/NEWS/710209809/1076/public-safety-notes/Fairfax-required-to-provide-election-info-in-Spanish&template=fairfaxTimes
With just weeks to go before the Nov. 8 election, Fairfax County election officials learned last week they now are required to provide election materials in Spanish, as well as English.
The Census Bureau issued its new determinations Oct. 12 for which jurisdictions have to comply with Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act, which mandates translated election materials be made available for people with limited English proficiency.
The provision applies when more than 10,000 voting-age residents who speak a given language are identified as having limited proficiency in English, and when a certain ratio of those residents also have less than a fifth grade education.
The announcement has thrown a wrench into the county’s preparations in an already challenging voting year, said Electoral Board Secretary Carol Ann Coryelle.
Virginia and the county underwent redistricting this year, which required extra staff time, she said, and the party primaries were moved from June to late August, shortening the time to prepare for the general election.
“We’ve got a lot of things hitting us all at once,” Coryelle said.
Although the notice arrived too late to get the ballots or electronic voting machines changed, Coryelle said the election staff has been scrambling to get signs and other materials translated and printed in Spanish. Bilingual county staff from other departments have assisted with the translations, she said.
The county also notified political parties and candidates of the new requirement, asking them to do what they can to help have some of their print materials translated.
“They’re in the process of trying to change things very quickly and in a short period of time,” Coryelle said.
Census Bureau mandates move for jurisdictions with large Hispanic communities
by Kali Schumitz, Staff Writer
http://www.fairfaxtimes.com/article/20111020/NEWS/710209809/1076/public-safety-notes/Fairfax-required-to-provide-election-info-in-Spanish&template=fairfaxTimes
With just weeks to go before the Nov. 8 election, Fairfax County election officials learned last week they now are required to provide election materials in Spanish, as well as English.
The Census Bureau issued its new determinations Oct. 12 for which jurisdictions have to comply with Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act, which mandates translated election materials be made available for people with limited English proficiency.
The provision applies when more than 10,000 voting-age residents who speak a given language are identified as having limited proficiency in English, and when a certain ratio of those residents also have less than a fifth grade education.
The announcement has thrown a wrench into the county’s preparations in an already challenging voting year, said Electoral Board Secretary Carol Ann Coryelle.
Virginia and the county underwent redistricting this year, which required extra staff time, she said, and the party primaries were moved from June to late August, shortening the time to prepare for the general election.
“We’ve got a lot of things hitting us all at once,” Coryelle said.
Although the notice arrived too late to get the ballots or electronic voting machines changed, Coryelle said the election staff has been scrambling to get signs and other materials translated and printed in Spanish. Bilingual county staff from other departments have assisted with the translations, she said.
The county also notified political parties and candidates of the new requirement, asking them to do what they can to help have some of their print materials translated.
“They’re in the process of trying to change things very quickly and in a short period of time,” Coryelle said.
Re: Fairfax required to provide election info in Spanish - Census Bureau mandates move for jurisdictions with large Hispanic communities
Posted by:
yes
()
Date: October 24, 2011 05:52PM
Vote for Pedro.
Re: Fairfax required to provide election info in Spanish - Census Bureau mandates move for jurisdictions with large Hispanic communities
Posted by:
what the hell...
()
Date: October 24, 2011 06:01PM
How did they gain voting rights without knowing how to speak English?
Re: Fairfax required to provide election info in Spanish - Census Bureau mandates move for jurisdictions with large Hispanic communities
Posted by:
Gonads & Strife
()
Date: October 24, 2011 06:04PM
God dammit, I better get to the polling station early before all of the English materials run out. Fucking Herndon..
Re: Fairfax required to provide election info in Spanish - Census Bureau mandates move for jurisdictions with large Hispanic communities
Posted by:
hell in a hadbasket
()
Date: October 24, 2011 06:21PM
does this really shock anyone?