Official Statement - Supervisor Lee Protects Multilingual Voting Resources
Official Statement, Supervisor Otto Lee
Protecting Multilingual Voting Resources in Santa Clara County
EVERY VOTE MATTERS, and in Santa Clara County, we’re fighting to make sure everyone has access to their ballot. This year’s budget process proposed cuts to official ballots and election specialists in several Asian languages, including Japanese, Korean, Hindi and Khmer.
The County of Santa Clara currently provides official ballots in nine languages: English, Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese. Because the South Bay is home to non-native English-speaking residents and communities, accessibility and the right to vote is not limited to any one language. We’ve been proud to offer multilingual ballots and election specialists in these four non-mandated languages since 2020. It's critical to honor and recognize the County's diverse communities and their needs, including accessibility to translation services.
This year, we have once again been reminded that every vote REALLY, REALLY matters as we watched a Congressional race initially result in a tie before undergoing a long recount process. And in 2022, a seat on the Sunnyvale City Council ended in a tie after a recount and the representative was chosen by a coin flip.
In the March 2024 primary election,1,230 voters cast ballots in Japanese, Hindi, Korean, and Khmer, and while that may seem like a small portion of the one million voters in our county, the reality is that these ballots determine the outcomes of some elections. This is especially true when these votes are concentrated in a district, a few neighborhoods or precinct.
In just four years, the total number of registered voters in these four languages has increased to 68%. Additionally, voters who received materials in these four languages participated in higher numbers in the 2022 election than in the 2018 election, despite an overall lower overall turnout in 2022. Due to the pandemic, the usual widespread promotion of these new language services did not occur.
We spoke with the community about the issue, and we’re grateful for the residents that came to express their reservations about this cut. I raised my concerns right away to County Administration about this proposal, strongly objecting to it. I’m thankful that these services will not be cut, and we were able to prevail in the final budget.
We are focused on ensuring that voters will not be disenfranchised no matter their background, zip code, or language. We especially must make the voting process as easy as possible for non-English speakers. There are real detrimental impacts on AAPI families with cuts like these, and that’s why I stood up to this one.
I want to see the County of Santa Clara expand our translation services and multilingual options for residents. Being able to properly communicate with the community is the keystone to serving them. I will continue to champion language access services.
County of Santa Clara Registrar of Voters
☆☆☆ Ensures Fair, Inclusive, Accurate, and Transparent Elections.
Click HERE for Registrar of Voters Homepage
☆☆☆ Vote-By-Mail Ballot Application Forms are accessible in 14 languages
Click HERE for VOTE By Mail Application Forms & FAQs
☆☆☆ Voter's Action Request Form are available in 9 languages
Click HERE for Voter's Action Request & Additional Information
☆☆☆ Language Accessibility Advisory Commission, LAAC
The County of Santa Clara's Language Accessibility Advisory Committee is a panel of community members who will provide input to the Registrar of Voters on how the Voter’s Choice Act model can better serve voters who primarily speak a language other than English.
Click HERE for more information about the LAAC