In an effort to bridge the linguistic divide, Arapahoe County's Elections Division is offering a helping hand to non-English-speaking voters. A recent report says that residents who speak one of the 160+ languages present in the county, and are above the age of five, total around 151,000. They now have the assurance that when they cast their votes, they will be able to do so in a language they are more comfortable with.
Acknowledging the inherent complexities of ballot language, Clerk and Recorder Joan Lopez highlighted the necessity for inclusive language assistance. "Ballot language is confusing enough to begin with, it’s really important that voters who aren’t comfortable using English have resources to understand what they’re voting on," Lopez told Arapahoe County. She also emphasized that comprehension of the ballot language can significantly influence a voter to participate fully in the electoral process.
The initiatives undertaken by the Clerk and Recorder’s Office are multifaceted. Services range from over-the-phone translation at the Voter Services office to certified interpreters ready to read ballots aloud in various languages. For the tech-savvy voters, Arapahoe County offers a "Translate" button, converting text to any one of 80 languages at the user's discretion.
In addition to phone assistance, Spanish speakers can utilize sample ballots in their language and even secure a Spanish-language ballot at any vote center. The Clerk's Office has also made information readily accessible with fact sheets instructing on how to effectively register, vote, and track one’s ballot in the eight most-spoken languages in the area. The languages include Amharic, Arabic, Chinese (Traditional), English, Korean, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese. However, when it comes to mail ballots, these will remain available only in English, a fact that might still deter some voters from fully engaging.
