When voters head to the polls for New Hampshire’s primary on Sept. 13, voting instructions will be available in English, Spanish, French and Mandarin Chinese.
The Secretary of State’s office announced the expanded translations available in an effort to make voting more transparent and accessible, said Secretary of State David Scanlan.
“Over the last few years, we have had requests more frequently to provide voting information in languages other than English,” said Scanlan. “We do see ethnic groups growing in New Hampshire. There is more of a demand for information that is easy to view and understand.”
Under Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act, if five percent of a population within a voting jurisdiction does not speak English primarily or are members of a single language minority group, voting information must be provided in that language, in addition to English. These jurisdictions are typically counties or a township in a state, and language determinations are made using the most recent Census data.
Although there are no voting jurisdictions that have a dominant language minority group by these standards, there is still a need for accessible instructions, said Scanlan.
The three new languages – French, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese – were decided on using Census data. Translated information available includes how to vote in New Hampshire, voting rights and Election Day instructions.
Election officials are encouraged to have printouts available, but the translated information can also be found on the Secretary of State’s website.
It was also up to a local ordinance to help someone at the polls who had an English language barrier, said Scanlan.
Through Overcomes Refugee Services, translation services are also available for New Americans who are navigating the voting process with language barriers, said Clement Kigugu, the executive director.
Ahead of the 2020 election, Overcomers held a training for New Americans where they translated election materials into various languages that provided instructions on how to register to vote and what happens at the polls.
In the 2020 presidential election, they also had an interpreter available to assist voters.
Similar services will be available for the upcoming election, he said. Overcomers received a grant from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation to fund these election information sessions. The training will also provide guidance on how to assist voters in a non-partisan manner.
Then the Overcomers team can use this training to help educate and register the New American population ahead of Election Day.
“The important thing is for people to understand how important it is for New Americans to have access to vote,” Kigugu said.
Accessibility for voting is a confidence factor for New Americans who recently became citizens, he said. Often, many are eager to vote in their first eligible election.
“It helps to really feel like I have a country where I can vote for the leader that I want,” said Kigugu. “Or that my voice can count too.”