Call to action comes as Hispanic Heritage Month draws to a close
October 13, 2023
Las Vegas , Nev. — As Hispanic Heritage Month draws to a close, All Voting is Local, Chispa Nevada, and Make the Road released the following statement:
“The Latino/Hispanic community in this state should be celebrated year-round, not just during Hispanic Heritage Month. We are the largest minority group in the state, and we are a community that greatly contributes to Nevada, ensuring it is a state that makes us all proud. One way our officials can continue to celebrate the Latino community is by ensuring that we are provided access to the ballot box, especially as the 2024 election cycle draws near.
“Election officials must ensure the availability of accurate and accessible information by creating and distributing translated voting information, materials, and other resources and by recruiting bilingual poll workers that can communicate effectively with Spanish-speaking voters. With the rampant amount of disinformation that has already caused enough damage by sowing confusion and doubt about the credibility of our election system, our election officials have a duty and responsibility to meet our needs and provide us with trustworthy information in the languages we speak.”
Background
In June of this year, AB 246, a pro-voter bill that would have increased language accessibility for elections held in the state, was vetoed by Governor Lombardo, leaving federal and state minimum guidelines in place as the standard.
Last year, in partnership with several groups, All Voting released “Ballots for All: Improving Language Access for Nevada Voters” in English and Spanish to highlight the need for translated ballots and voter education materials in the state. Our analysis of geographic and census data revealed over half a million Nevadans over the age of 18 speak a language other than English, with recent data census revealing that 291,828 of them are Spanish speakers. This underscores the need for more counties to provide voting materials in the languages voters speak. This year, All Voting is Local Action Nevada released a Ballots for All: Improving Language Access for Nevada Voters fact sheet in English and Spanish with updated data and policy recommendations that supported AB 246.