Elected Officials Push For French Creole And Russian Interpreters At Polling Sites

Local elected officials have rallied around efforts to add French Creole and Russian interpreters and translations at polling stations.

Following the presidential primary debacle, in which more than 125,000 Brooklyn Democrats were dropped from voter rolls, Mayor Bill de Blasio has offered the Board of Elections nearly $20 million to help clean up its act. However, a group of Brooklyn politicians, including Assemblymembers Rodneyse Bichotte, William Colton, and Pamela Harris, and Council Members Mathieu Eugene, David Greenfield and Mark Treyger say some of that money should go towards expanding translation services at the ballot box.

The Board of Elections is already required under federal law to post signs, and provide translated voting materials and interpreter services for Chinese, Korean, Spanish and Bengali speaking voters. However, that service does not extend to Russian and French Creole speakers, officials say.

About 120,000 Russian speakers and 49,000 French Creole speakers have limited English proficiency — compared to 47,000 Korean speakers and 39,000 Bengali speakers, according to a press release from Councilman Mark Treyger’s office.

State Assemblywoman Bichotte introduced legislation this week mandating that voting materials be translated into Haitian Creole and interpreters be placed at polling sites in districts where Haitians make up at least five percent of the population.

Similarly, Assemblyman Colton of South Brooklyn has already introduced a bill that would require interpreter services for Russian-speaking voters.

And City Councilman Eugene has proposed the Fair Language Voting Act, requiring voting guides for contested federal, state, and county elections to be published in the top nine languages spoken in New York City,in addition to English and Spanish.

“As a member of the Assembly representing the largest Haitian-Creole speaking community in the State of New York, I understand the community has a need for poll worker translators that speak in the native tongue that reflects them,” said Assemblywoman Bichotte‎. “I proudly join hands with my colleagues in South Brooklyn in promoting a fair and equitable voting process for all.”