Constitution

Voting Rights Act: Section 203--Bilingual Election Requirements Part I; Hearing before the Subcommittee on the Constitution of the Committee on the Judiciary House of Representatives One Hundred Ninth Congress First Session November 8 2005

2006 · réf. 76535 — Washington DC: U. S. Government Printing Office 2006. Presumed First Edition First printing. Wraps. Good. Serial No. 109-83. Part I ONLY. Volume I iv 1446 22 pages. This Committee will focus on section 203 the provision authorizing bilingual language assistance to American citizens who are members of covered language minority groups and who have limited English proficiency. Section 203 has not been revisited by Congress since 1992 and like the sections that we have discussed in previous hearings is set to expire in 2007 unless reauthorized. The Voting Rights Act was enacted in 1965 in response to a history of racial discrimination against some of our Nation's citizens. In 1975 Congress expanded the Voting Rights Act to include section 203 and its companion section 4f. Section 203 requires certain jurisdictions to provide bilingual election assistance-including notices instructions information and ballots-to citizens who are members of a designated language minority group and who have limited English proficiency. As cited in the 1975 House Report section 203 was added in response to ''an extensive evidentiary record demonstrating the prevalence of voting discrimination and high illiteracy rates among language minorities.'' This record revealed that similar discrimination patterns and practices that had been used to prevent African-Americans from voting were being administered against Asian-Americans American Indians Native Alaskans and citizens of Hispanic origin. These citizens are more than likely to live in environments in which the dominant language is other than English. Section 203 breaks down these barriers by providing citizens in a language minority group with the assistance necessary to participate in the political process. Section 203 has enabled an increased number of minority citizens to register and cast ballots as revealed in the last Census and latest election records. U. S. Government Printing Office paperback