Don’t speak English? Here’s what help is available to voters at North Carolina polls

Many North Carolina residents need help voting, whether that means having a near relative deliver an absentee ballot to an elections office or actually help fill it out because of disability.

Some voters need help understanding and filling out their ballots because of an increasingly common challenge: a language barrier.

In 2019, 12% of North Carolina households spoke a language other than English, up 1.2% since 2014, U.S. Census data shows. Spanish is the most commonly spoken language statewide after English, followed by French, German and Chinese — including Mandarin and Cantonese.

The voting process may be unfamiliar to many, and not speaking the language poses more complications. Here’s a primer on what assistance is available for non-English speaking voters going to the polls in person on Election Day.

Are there ballots available in my native language?

No, North Carolina does not provide ballots in languages other than English. In 2018, the N.C. State Board of Elections said this was because the state doesn’t “meet the threshold required under the Voting Rights Act,” which says that multilingual ballots must be provided in counties where at least 5% of voting-age residents speak another language.

The state and other organizations, such as Democracy North Carolina, have translated some election materials such as voting guides and voter registration forms into secondary languages, including Spanish.

Can somebody help me fill out my ballot in English?

Any voter has the right to rely on somebody to translate and interpret the ballot at their polling place, whether that be during early voting — which ended Saturday — or at their assigned polling site on Election Day, when polls close at 7:30 p.m.

A near relative of your choice — which includes spouses, siblings, parents, step-parents, sons and daughters, grandparents and in-laws — or a legal guardian can help if you don’t understand or can’t read your ballot, according to the State Board of Elections. If somebody helps you physically mark your ballot, the assistant must fill out a Voter Assistance Certification form.

When voters arrive at the polling place with their interpreter or translator, they should “request permission for help from the chief judge, stating the reasons” the voter needs help and identify the person who will provide it, the State Board of Elections says.

What can and can’t my interpreter do?

According to the State Board of Elections, the assistant can enter the voting booth with you and read the information written on the English ballot while translating it to the language you are most comfortable with.

Your assistant can’t, however, do the following:

▪ Try to persuade or induce you to cast a vote in a particular way.

▪ Make any record of anything that occurs in the voting booth.

▪ Reveal to any person how the voter filled out the ballot, unless the person giving help is called to testify in court.

If you don’t want to rely on a translator or interpreter and want to vote alone in the voting booth, you are allowed to bring notes. These can include voting guides and other reference materials in your preferred language to help you find your preferred candidates. The languages may differ on the guides, but the candidate names will be the same.

This story was originally published October 30, 2020 at 2:35 PM with the headline "Don’t speak English? Here’s what help is available to voters at North Carolina polls."