Georgia’s Voting Rights Advocates Mark Another Language Access Win During Runoff Elections for Korean and Latino Voters
Cobb County Becomes Second in State to Voluntarily Disseminate Officially Translated Ballots
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 23, 2020
CONTACT INFORMATION
James C. Woo
404.585.8446 x 104
jwoo@advancingjustice-atlanta.org
Atlanta, GA — Today the #DearGeorgia, It’s Time campaign led by Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Atlanta (Advancing Justice) and supported by more than 30 voting rights advocacy organizations announced the first ever officially translated composite ballot in an Asian language (Korean) and Spanish in Cobb County’s history.
Today’s in-language resources roll-out include: translated sample ballots and Advancing Justice’s multilingual hotline where voters can obtain voting information and interpretation services in-language in Korean and Spanish, will be posted and available to voters at all polling stations for early voting and election day in Cobb County. The county also plans to give poll workers information on language access rights and make them aware of these in-language resources at the polls. Nearly 44% of AAPIs in GA are limited English proficient (LEP) and language access is a critical voting accessibility issue. In contrast to DeKalb and Cobb counties, in neighboring counties like Gwinnett which has larger Asian American populations, LEP Asian American voters will not have any voting resources in their languages. Currently, Gwinnett County only provides in-language resources in Spanish, as mandated by Federal law.
“Cobb’s decision to provide voting resources in Korean and Spanish comes at a critical time for Georgia. The January 5th runoff elections will be extremely close and LEP immigrant voters are among the multiracial communities that will be decisive votes. For immigrant voters, lack of language access can be the very thing that leaves their vote uncounted. Steps taken by DeKalb and Cobb counties are promising starts to make the voting experience accessible for LEP voters in Georgia, ” stated Stephanie Cho, Asian American Advancing Justice - Atlanta’s Executive Director.
Since October, members of the Dear Georgia, It’s Time campaign have demanded that Governor Brian Kemp, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, the State Board of Elections, and county election officials meet the needs of LEP voters by providing critical voting materials in Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean, Chinese, Bengali, Hindi and Urdu. Georgia’s election officials can implement recommendations shared by the Dear Georgia, It’s Time campaign in a letter dated November 12th to the Secretary of State and the State Election Board to remove language barriers for LEP voters not only in the upcoming runoff elections but in future Georgia elections. Each and every LEP voter should be given a fair opportunity to participate.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta is the first nonprofit legal advocacy organization dedicated to protecting the civil rights of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander (AANHPI) and Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian (AMEMSA) communities in Georgia and the Southeast. For more information about Advancing Justice-Atlanta, visit https://advancingjustice-atlanta.org.
