FW: Ballot in Spanish

[Kevin Jones]

Hello John and Kristin –

 

I am a bit surprised that with all of the emphasis we put on diversity, equity and inclusion that Larimer County does not offer election ballots in Spanish.  I would expect even though it isn’t required by state law in Larimer County’s case it is something we would accommodate beyond referral to the state language assistance hotline.

 

Here is a list of counties required by state law to provide multilingual ballot access:

Adams (Spanish)
Alamosa (Spanish)
Arapahoe (Spanish)
Bent (Spanish)
Boulder (Spanish)
Conejos (Spanish)
Costilla (Spanish)
Denver (Spanish)
Eagle (Spanish)
El Paso (Spanish)
Fremont (Spanish)
Garfield (Spanish)
Jefferson (Spanish)
Lincoln (Spanish)
Montrose (Spanish)
Morgan (Spanish)
Prowers (Spanish)
Rio Grande (Spanish)
Saguache (Spanish)
Weld (Spanish)

 

Thoughts?

 

This issue came to my attention through folks at FCCAN copied on this message.

 

I hope all is well with you both.

 

Kevin

 

Kevin Jones
Business Advocacy Director
kjo...@fcchamber.org

Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce
225 S Meldrum, Fort Collins CO 80521
ph: 970.482.3751
fax: 970.482.3774
web: www.FortCollinsChamber.com
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From: Tina Harris <harr...@co.larimer.co.us>
Sent: Friday, October 27, 2023 9:59 AM
To: Kevin Jones <kjo...@fcchamber.org>
Subject: Re: Ballot in Spanish

 

Hello Kevin,

 

Thank you for contacting me directly. That is correct. Based on Census data, Larimer County is not covered by either of the following multilingual ballot access requirements:

·  Section 203 of the "Voting Rights Act of 1965"

·  Title 1, Article 5, Part 9, Colorado Revised Statutes

As such, multilingual ballots are not available in any format in Larimer County.

 

That said, all voters in the State of Colorado have access to the Colorado Language Assistance Hotline. Public information on that hotline can be found here: https://www.coloradosos.gov/pubs/elections/FAQs/languageAssist.html

 

Please let me know if you have any other questions. 

 

Kind regards,

Tina

 

On Thu, Oct 26, 2023 at 3:44 PM Kevin Jones <kjo...@fcchamber.org> wrote:

Hi Tina –

 

I was formed by someone in a meeting last night that this person had called Larimer County to get a November Coordinated Election ballot in Spanish and was told that ballots in Spanish are not available.

 

Is that true?

 

Please advise.

 

Thank you Tina.

 

Kevin

 

Kevin Jones
Business Advocacy Director
kjo...@fcchamber.org

Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce
225 S Meldrum, Fort Collins CO 80521
ph: 970.482.3751
fax: 970.482.3774
web: www.FortCollinsChamber.com
Facebook I Twitter I LinkedIn 

 

 

 

--

 

 

	Tina Harris Clerk & Recorder
	200 W Oak St, Fort Collins, 80521 PO Box 1280, Fort Collins, CO 80522 W: (970) 498.-7852 | M: (970) 459-7332  tina....@larimer.gov | larimer.gov/clerk  Like Us on Facebook | Follow Us on Twitter

 

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This communication, including attachments, is for the exclusive use of the addressee and may contain confidential or privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient, any use, copying, disclosure, dissemination, or distribution is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender immediately by return mail and delete this communication and destroy all copies.

 

[Kevin Jones]

Thanks John.

 

I can’t speak for FCCAN so I will ask Grace and Rachel to chime in and answer your questions.  I was simply surprised when told by FCCAN that ballots in Spanish were not available in Larimer County with all of the inclusion efforts and resources expended over the last few years.

 

Thanks again John for responding.

 

Kevin

 

 

Kevin Jones
Business Advocacy Director
kjo...@fcchamber.org

Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce
225 S Meldrum, Fort Collins CO 80521
ph: 970.482.3751
fax: 970.482.3774
web: www.FortCollinsChamber.com
Facebook I Twitter I LinkedIn 

 

 

From: John Kefalas <kefa...@co.larimer.co.us>
Sent: Saturday, October 28, 2023 8:22 PM
To: Kevin Jones <kjo...@fcchamber.org>
Cc: Kristin Stephens <step...@co.larimer.co.us>; Grace Benasutti <gr...@fccan.org>; Rachel Selby <rac...@fccan.org>
Subject: Re: FW: Ballot in Spanish

 

Thank you Kevin, and before Kristin and I follow up on this matter with county leadership and the clerk and recorder, I would like to ask a couple of questions. Is FC CAN advocating for this change and will they approach the Clerk & Recorder to discuss needed changes for the 2024 elections? What is the need for having Spanish language ballots? Are folks being excluded because there aren't Spanish language ballots? 

 

	John Kefalas County Commissioner, District 1
	Commissioners' Office 200 W Oak St | 2nd Floor PO Box 1190, Fort Collins, CO 80522-1190 W: (970) 498-7001 Cell:  (720) 254-7598 jkef...@larimer.org | www.larimer.org

 

[Rachel Selby]

Hello all,

Thank you for your response and appreciate the information. 

We were also surprised to hear that Larimer County doesn't offer Spanish ballots, especially given Larimer County's around 9% Spanish-speaking population. We are advocating for Larimer County to have a Spanish ballot, but we would like to learn more about what the process would look like, given our grassroot organization's size. Can you share more about the specifics of the law that requires Spanish ballots in the other counties listed?

Please let us know how we can proceed/what is required of us to pursue this.

--

Rachel (RJ) Selby (they/she)

Assistant Director & Community Organizer

www.fccan.org | 970-419-8944

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[Rachel Selby]

Thank you, John. I will connect with Tina.

Yes, folks in Larimer County are being excluded from voting due to the lack of a Spanish ballot.

On Tue, Oct 31, 2023 at 9:49 PM John Kefalas <kefa...@co.larimer.co.us> wrote:

Thank you for this follow-up communication, Rachel, and I think the best way to pursue this for the 2024 elections is to connect directly with the LC Clerk & Recorder, Tina Harris, to understand the process for having Spanish language ballots. Are citizens being excluded from voting due to not having Spanish language ballots in Larimer County?