Thread: Non-English Speaking Voters - Minn. Senate Recount Quandary

Nov 12, 2008 5:53 pm US/Central

Amid Senate Flak, Can Non-English Speakers Vote?

Reporting
Esme Murphy

(WCCO)Both the Franken and Coleman campaigns have raised concerns about translators that were helping Somalis vote at the Brian Coyle Center in Minneapolis, and whether those translators were in fact telling people how to vote.

The chaotic scene inside the Brian Coyle Center during the election highlights a little known fact about U.S. immigration law. It is possible to get the English requirement for your citizenship test waived. And according to Somali leaders, many Somali Americans have gotten just such a waiver.

Somali activist Omar Jamal said these voters need translators to help them vote.

"Its not only Somalis, it is all immigrants who can qualify for the waiver," Jamal pointed out.

Immigration law says you can get the English test waived because of age. For example, if you are over 50 and have lived in the U.S. for 20 years, you can take the civics test in your own language.

There are also medical and psychiatric waivers. These require a note from a doctor. With this type of waiver the immigrant doesn't have to take the civics test at all. Herbert Igbanubo, a leading immigration attorney, said he has never had a medical waiver denied.

"If you are mentally impaired in some manner, where you're prevented to learn, not because of want of effort, but because you're unable or incapable of learning because of a mental impairment, then you will have the requirement for English, and civics, and history waived," Igbanubo said.

State and federal election law says it's legal to have had translators at the Brian Coyle Center for helping people and it is also legal to have someone fill out the ballot if you need help. What is not legal is if someone tells you how to vote.

The Department of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services was unable to provide statistics for how many waivers of the English language requirement happen every year.

http://wcco.com/politics/non.english.vo ... 62881.html

Both the Franken and Coleman campaigns have raised concerns about translators that were helping Somalis vote at the Brian Coyle Center in Minneapolis, and whether those translators were in fact telling people how to vote.




Notice nothing was said about concerns over translators telling people to vote for obama though, I see.

If his thugs had instructions to intimidate English speakers into voting for him. if ACORN was paid to fraudulently register English speakers right along with the non, you can sure as hell guarantee that translators were instructing the non English speakers on who to vote for.

I don't even know what can EVER be done to restore integrity to our elections process.

Sure, why not live in America for 20 years and not learn how to speak English. We don't need no stinkin' melting pot any more. The Somalis fit right in with the Mexicans who have been here 20 years and still don't speak English.