Colorado rolls out new language assistance hotline to help non-English speaking voters - Colorado Public Radio

Colorado voters who privation oregon request assistance with English tin entree certified translation services for escaped erstwhile they ballot successful the upcoming midterm elections. 

The Secretary of State’s bureau has launched a caller hotline that allows voters to person existent clip translation of their ballot contented from a unrecorded interpreter. Spanish, Korean, Mandarin, Taiwanese and Vietnamese translators are disposable connected call. Other languages are disposable upon request, according to a merchandise from the office. 

“Voting should beryllium accessible to each Colorado voter,” said Secretary of State Jena Griswold successful a statement. “The caller Language Assistance Hotline does precisely that.”

Voters tin entree the hotline from location oregon astatine an in-person voting center. 

All the Secretary of State’s bureau asks is that voters person their ballot with them erstwhile they call. After dialing in, users volition beryllium patched into a three-way telephone speech with a authorities oregon region predetermination idiosyncratic and a state-certified interpreter fluent successful the connection they request. 

The hotline lone provides translations of ballot contented — not for the Blue Book, according to the release. Interpreters tin instruct voters connected however to capable successful ovals oregon marque corrections. They volition besides beryllium capable to explicate however radical should decently motion and seal their ballots.

An estimated 103,000 registered voters successful Colorado talk English “less than precise well,” according to information from the Census Bureau’s 2017 American Community Survey. Roughly 82,000 of those voters unrecorded successful counties wherever ballots and different predetermination materials aren’t disposable successful languages different than English. 

Democratic lawmakers included backing for the caller hotline successful a multilingual voting enlargement package passed successful 2021.

The work volition beryllium particularly adjuvant erstwhile it comes to interpreting the ineligible connection of ballot measures, said authorities Sen. Dominick Moreno, 1 of the law’s sponsors. 

“The hotline volition beryllium capable to supply audible translations that are often much accessible and culturally applicable than written text,” Moreno said. “That is precise adjuvant for folks.” 

County clerks began mailing ballots to eligible voters for the November midterms connected Monday. Early voting begins Oct. 24. 

Voters tin find their nearest ballot envelope driblet container by visiting the Secretary of State’s website oregon checking with the section predetermination office. 

People tin scope the caller hotline by calling 303-860-6970. 

Its hours of cognition are: 

• Oct. 17 - Nov. 4 (8 a.m. - 5 p.m.) 
• Nov. 7 - 8 (7 a.m. - 7 p.m.)