County officials will sign a U.S. Department of Justice consent decree mandating a set number of Spanish-speaking election workers, and empowering a Spanish-language advisory committee that was created by the county in 2006 and later disbanded.
Fort Bend County Commissioners Court members voted unanimously on Tuesday to sign the consent decree with DOJ, ending a four-year-old dispute whose details still largely remain unknown, because the Justice Department documents won’t be made public until both county and federal officials have approved them.
However, County Judge Bob Hebert said after Tuesday’s meeting that the heart of the dispute involved 20 to 24 incidents in which “stubborn” or inadequately trained election judges or workers took some action that DOJ observers believed violated the U.S. Voting Rights Act.
By signing the DOJ consent decree, “we’re agreeing basically to do those things that we try to do every election,” Hebert said.
Among other things, the decree includes “a forumla determining the number of Spanish-language precinct interpretors” who must be hired and present during elections in Fort Bend County. The formula also determines in which precincts those interpretors must be located, Hebert said.
In order to follow that forumla, “any name that can be construed to be Hispanic, you count it,” he said. “If it’s in a gray area, you count it.”
Hebert said that in past primary elections, which are run by the two major political parties, “they’ve had great difficulties getting Hispanic volunteers.”
That apparent problem could be lessened by another provision in the consent decree, which states that the county will begin holding joint primaries. Voters will be presented with separate ballots depending on their party preference, but each voting location will include some bilingual clerks who can serve voters in either primary, Hebert said.
Also, in order to find enough Spanish translators, the Greater Fort Bend Economic Development Council and local community college systems will make an “outreach” push. “We are aggressively seeking volunteers,” Hebert said.
The Spanish-language advisory conmmittee, which was created in March 2006, is a recognized participant in the consent decree, Hebert said.
“Unfortunately,” that committee “kind of fell apart” while J.R. Perez was elections administrator, and current administrator John Oldham has not yet had time to recreate it, Hebert said.
But that committee now will be reconstituted, and the 12 to 15 members will by able to increase or decrease the number of translators available in any given voting precinct, among other things.
A similar Asian-language advisory committee also was created in 2006 , however, Hebert said DOJ apparently agrees with county officials that those issues now have been adequately addressed. No issues involving any languages other than Spanish are contained in the consent decree, he said.
A final area that must be addressed, according to the consent decree, involves including a Spanish version of the election-related portions of the county’s official web site.
Hebert indicated required changes can be made relatively easily.
Voters need Common sence elections with paper trail ballot voting to justify counting.
>>”It is almost impossible to find an average caucasian American in the pictures; they are almost exclusively immigrants!”
I got some shocking news for you, bud, but if you’re Caucasian, you’re just as much an immigrant as anyone else in that yearbook.
Megabite-
Have you ever taken a look at the Valedictorian photos that are posted from our area high schools at the end of each school year? It is almost impossible to find an average caucasian American in the pictures; they are almost exclusively immigrants!
More curious
This is why we need laws establishing English as the official language of the USA. And if the Supreme Court or other courts rule that law unconstitutional as they are so often inclined to do (meaning, they disagree with the law, so they “interpret” the Constitution), then we need a Constitutional amendment establishing English as the official language of the USA. That would put a nail in this kind of BS.
Why would we expect immigrants to learn English when
we constantly bend over backwards to cater to them in
their own language? Didn’t they have to learn English
to get their citizenship or do we have non citizens
voting?
Protect U.S.A. First Admen. Voters right to Freedom of Speech. Support to expand representation, to end abuse of power by any county member of Ft. Bend. What lead to J.R. Perez resignation?