Posted on 07/24/2004 8:29:13 AM PDT by Theodore R.
Spanish order puts county in election bind Bilingual clerk requirements spur scramble to fill 269 posts
BY JOHN REYNOLDS AVALANCHE-JOURNAL
Increased federal scrutiny of the electoral process in the upcoming presidential election has Lubbock County officials scrambling to find up to 269 Spanish-speaking election clerks by November.
Elections Administrator Dorothy Kennedy was notified Thursday of the new bilingual clerk requirements in a memo from Texas Secretary of State Geoffrey Connor.
Training and staffing that number of election workers could cost as much as $27,000.
However, County Commissioner James Kitten said he was less worried about the cost and more worried about the county's ability to find that many election workers before November.
"Over the past few years, getting workers has been difficult to start with," he said. "That's the big issue. You can't really have an election without workers."
Although Texas has re quired bilingual election materials and bilingual clerks for nearly 30 years, the state never specified how many bilingual clerks should be in each precinct, according to a copy of Connor's memo obtained by The Ava lanche-Journal.
The memo, which was sent to election administrators in every Texas county, recommended at least one bilingual clerk for each voting precinct in which voters with Spanish surnames constitute at least 5 percent of the population.
According to the state's formula, Lubbock County must assign three bilingual clerks to 19 precincts, two bilingual clerks to 22 precincts and one bilingual clerk to another 22 precincts.
Kennedy will assign the remaining 146 workers to "take care of the other precincts that don't hit the 5 percent threshold," she said.
Connor's urgency stemmed from the U.S. Department of Justice's decision to spotlight Texas' compliance with bilingual election requirements, according to the memo.
"In light of the controversy surrounding the 2000 presidential election, the 2004 general election will be examined very closely," Connor wrote. "DOJ has given us advance notice that bilingual election clerks will be one of the election issues that they will be monitoring closely."
According to Kennedy, federal officials might be assigned to observe the vote in Lubbock County.
One complaint raised during the 2000 election was the lack of Spanish-speaking election workers, especially in Florida, Kennedy said.
Election officials across the country acknowledge, though, that the problems in Florida could have happened anywhere, she said.
"We just don't want it in Lubbock County," she said. "We want no problems with elections (here)."
Kennedy said she met with Kitten and County Judge Tom Head to apprise them of the recommendations made by the secretary of state. Kennedy's office will pay for the workers by adjusting the seasonal employees budget.
No federal or state money will be available to help with the costs of training and staffing the workers, she said.
The funding request comes less than two months after Kennedy told commissioners she will need more than $800,000 to pay for electronic voting machines to comply with the federal Help America Vote Act.
Kennedy said she was concerned most about finding enough bilingual volunteers, vetting them and training them in time for the November election.
"We're making a very urgent appeal now (for Spanish-speaking volunteers)," she said. "By the time we get names, make sure they're registered to vote, and, by the time training is done, November will be here."
Four people in the elections office speak Spanish and will be able to evaluate each volunteer's linguistic proficiency.
"There's no way an election can be pulled off without the community," Kennedy said. "Here we are going back to the community asking for help now."
Interested bilingual residents are asked to call the county elections office at (806) 775-1339.
john.reynolds@lubbockonline.com 766-8725
I don't want to seem biased, but if they can't speak English, why/how can they vote?
This infuriates me! We are an English speaking nation--so immigrants just have to deal with it!--no English--no vote--period!
They have no interest in learning English and the government is encouraging this type of non-assimilating immigrant to come over. Even the social workers in the welfare offices are required to speak Spanish so the welfare seekers aren't inconvenienced.
Did they do this for the Italins and Greeks and Poles and others that came over in the earlier part of the last century?
I doubt it! They should sue for reparations and say they were discriminated against.
It's never too late to ask for reparations,is it?
Sarcasm intended!!!!!
Are these national or state Republican orders to provide such ballot access?
Yet another reason anyone wanting to be a citizen and to vote should have at least basic English ability...period.
Who determines that? Wouldn't that be dangerously close to racial profiling? This is nuts.
life on the democrat plantation.
Every time I read an article like this it reminds me of the students in my high school classrooms telling me they'll never need the Spanish language. Very interesting development. I don't agree with it, but what do all of you propose to do about it? As the song says, "...a little less talk and a lot more action."
I know that what you say is true - but it is still wrong!
Since my job is solutions....why can't the county hire up school seniors (at least half speak both English and Spanish), and simply offer a tuition deal with the local community college. There is no law in Texas about the age of the voting clerks...so a 17-year old kid could easily be a cleark sworn in. And offer them some training during Phys Ed classes for two weeks (compliments of the local school board), and pay each kid tutition for one semester at the community college ($400 special rate prearranged by college). Everyone comes out ahead, and no problems occur.
The politically correct make the assumption that no one with a Spanish surname is capable of learning English --- there are some who can learn English although many of the type of immigrants we're bringing in aren't capable of learning much except where the welfare office is. How many of these Spanish speakers are paying premiums for their own health insurance? Not many at all -- if any --- they're very much dependents of the government --- which is why they're useful to certain politicians.
The number of bilingual clerks they "need" is decided by Spanish surname, rather than by acertaining if an actual "need" exists.
From the article: "...recommended at least one bilingual clerk for each voting precinct in which voters with Spanish surnames constitute at least 5 percent of the population."
Hello colleague. Many folks think I'm making up what I say, don't they? Hello to all over there...
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! (Sam Kinison scream)
All of this is brought to you by the Republican Department of Justice headed by John Ashcroft.
This is pure hogwash, designed to benefit Democrat agitators and provide another excuse for delegitimizing the electoral process.
I live in Lubbock County, I have run for office here, and I speak fluent Spanish.
I have never met a single person, out of many thousands, who was interested in voting but who could not understand English.
There may be a handful, but there are more than enough Spanish-speaking election officials to meet their needs if it arises.
If they can't speak English, they are not legitimate American citizens and therefore have NO RIGHT to vote. I don't see what is so d****d complicated for these people to understand about that!
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