Eagle Forum |
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| June 19, 2006 |
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| UPDATE! The House of Representatives has delayed consideration of the Voting Rights Act. Your calls worked! Please continue to call your representatives and Senators and let them know you oppose renewing the foreign language ballot provisions in the VRA! | |||
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Stop Foreign Language Ballots
Tell Republican Leadership to allow the King Amendment!
Foreign language ballots don't make civic sense. You can't vote unless you are a citizen (at least you are not supposed to). To become a naturalized American citizen, our law requires that you demonstrate "an understanding of the English language, including an ability to read, write and speak . . . simple words and phrases . . . in ordinary usage in the English language." Foreign language ballots are costly to both taxpayers and local municipalities. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported that Los Angeles County taxpayers spent $1.1 million to provide ballots and election materials in five languages in 1996, escalating to $3.3 million in seven languages in March 2002. In several counties, the cost of foreign-language ballots is more than half the entire election expense In light of the Senate recently passing a bill granting amnesty to 12 million illegal aliens and importing up to 66 million new legal immigrants, America needs linguistic unity more than ever. Offering foreign language ballots while at the same time emphasizing the importance of learning English sends mixed signals to those seeking to assimilate into American society.
House Republican leadership needs to hear from you! A vote on the VRA will happen this week!
Capitol Switchboard: (202)-224-3121
Further reading: Amnesty |
