AGENDA #4i
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Resolution Requesting that Election Ballot Instructions be Provided in Spanish and English
DATE: August 27, 2001
The General Assembly recently passed House Bill 1041, an act to require that ballot instructions be printed in Spanish as well as English. The Act was signed into law on July 18, and a copy is attached (Attachment 1). The new requirements apply only to separate ballot instructions, and do not apply to the actual ballot.
The Act provides that in every county or municipality where the Hispanic population exceeds six percent, in accordance with the most recent decennial federal census, all instructions to the voter for ballots shall be printed in both English and Spanish. The Act becomes effective for all primaries, elections and referenda held on or after August 1, 2001 and, therefore, applies to the 2001 municipal elections.
Provided as Attachment 2 is a list of the municipalities with a Hispanic population of at least six percent of the total population based on the 2000 census. According to the 2000 census, Chapel Hill’s Hispanic population is slightly more than 3%, and does not meet this criterion.
The Council may wish to request that Orange County consider providing ballot instructions in Spanish even though it is not required to do so. We suggest that the Council authorize the Mayor to send a letter to the Orange County Board of Elections requesting that ballot instructions be provided in Spanish as well as English, beginning with the upcoming November elections.
The attached resolution would authorize the Mayor to make this request.
A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO REQUEST THE ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS TO PROVIDE BALLOT INSTRUCTIONS IN SPANISH AND ENGLISH (2001-08-27/R-6)
WHEREAS, the General Assembly recently passed House Bill 1041, an act to require that ballot instructions be printed in Spanish and English; and
WHEREAS, Chapel Hill does not meet the criterion of an Hispanic population of at least six percent; and
WHEREAS, the Town Council wishes to provide this service to its citizens;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill that the Council authorizes the Mayor to send a letter to the Orange County Board of Elections requesting that the County provided ballot instructions in both Spanish and English, beginning with the November 2001 elections.
This the 27th day of August, 2001.