ELECTIONS

Non-English speakers have options for voting, county clerk says

Oct 24, 2024, 1:00 PM

A sign marks the entrance to a voting precinct on the first day of early voting in the general elec...

FILE - A sign marks the entrance to a voting precinct on the first day of early voting in the general election in Phoenix, Oct. 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

SALT LAKE CITY — Non-English speakers in Utah may find voting in their native language tricky unless they live in specific areas of the state.

If you live in Salt Lake County, you can vote in either English or Spanish. For everyone else in the state, it’s English only.

In order to offer ballots in other languages, counties have to meet strict demographic requirements set forth in the Voting Rights Act.

Weber County Clerk Ricky Hatch said that doesn’t mean non-English speakers are on their own.

“We do consciously recruit poll workers who are Spanish speakers,” Hatch said. “So we have multiple poll workers at our vote centers, our early voting sites as well as in our office who speak Spanish in addition to English.”

Voters who’d like translation services can do another thing as well.

“If a voter requests assistance, they can be accompanied by an election worker or somebody that they have brought themselves … [They] can actually help them complete the ballot,” Hatch said.

Non-English services vary by county, so you should contact your county clerk for more information.

Andy Cupp is a producer for KSL NewsRadio and KSL At Night.

Keep reading: People experiencing homelessness still eligible to vote, State Elections Director says

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Non-English speakers have options for voting, county clerk says