I rise again to address the importance of the renewal of the language assistance provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Our Nations growing Hispanic population is gradually becoming important in the political arena with the increased involvement of second and third generation Latinos. The number of naturalized citizens has also increased over the years. All these Americans. whether nativebom or naturalized have an equal right to vote. Englishonly policies are subtle mechanisms that deny American citizens their constitutional right to vote. America is supposed to be a country of freedom. of democracy. Naturalized nonEnglish speaking citizens must endure long waiting periods to enroll in English as a Second Language (ESL) literacy centers. whose numbers are scarce due to lack of funding. In New York State. the wait lists were so long. the State decided to establish a lottery system instead. How can we ask for Englishonly policies when we do not have the requisite infrastructure in place to teach English to our citizens. let alone enable them to comprehend the complex ballots?
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