Issues
Official English
Bilingual Education
English on the Job
Citizenship and
   Immigration
Bilingual Ballots
Puerto Rican
    Statehood
Ending E.O. 13166,
   the "Multilingual
   Mandate"

Resources
Model official
   English statute
Backgrounders
Pending legislation
Census 2000 data
Myths & Facts
Poll Data

Contact us:
1601 N. Kent St.
Suite 1100
Arlington, VA
22209
ph: (703)816-8821

ARLINGTON, VA - ProEnglish, an Arlington, Va.-based national organization that backs official English released a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter signed by twenty-six organizations and seven prominent individuals opposing the reauthorization of the bilingual ballot provisions of the Voting Rights Act (VRA).

ProEnglish and the Washington D.C.-based Eagle Forum sponsored the letter signed by a wide range of organizations and individuals including the American Legion, the Family Research Council, former U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese and former U.S. Rep. Bob Barr.

The letter called attention to the fact that two different Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports to Congress found widespread evidence that bilingual ballots were an expensive unfunded federal mandate, that are rarely used in practice. The letter stated that "Today as our nation becomes more diverse, it is even more critical to protect our nation's linguistic unity than it has been in the past," and pointed out that "…[bilingual ballots] undermines that objective and sends the message that it is okay, even desirable for our citizenry to be divided by language."

In announcing the letter, ProEnglish Executive Director K.C. McAlpin also drew attention to a March 2006 Zogby International poll which found that 63 percent of likely voters said ballots and voting materials should be printed only in English while 35 percent of respondents said ballots should be in other languages in addition to English.

McAlpin said, "This poll shows voters oppose multilingual ballots by a 2-1 margin. We urge the Senate Judiciary Committee to listen to the voters and end the divisive and un-American policy of forcing states and counties to print and provide ballots and election materials in foreign languages."