Best Practices: Unwritten Languages

What is an unwritten language?

An unwritten language does not have a standard written form used by the native

speakers of the language. Even though a written form for a language may exist, a

language may be considered unwritten if it is not commonly used in a written form.

Which unwritten languages does Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act cover?

Section 203 covers the following unwritten languages:

age living across 78 jurisdictions in three states (Alaska, Arizona, and New Mexico) who speak

unwritten languages. Election officials must be proactive in understanding the particular needs of

these voters as the population of the language groups can change from year to year.

What type of assistance is required?

Covered jurisdictions must determine whether a language is considered written or unwritten.

Unwritten languages require election officials to provide "announcements, publicity, and assistance"

in oral form so that members of the unwritten language group can effectively participate in the

electoral process. The Code of Federal Regulations sets the baseline for providing helpers, (i.e.,

assistors of choice) to voters who require oral assistance in their minority language. The baseline

considers the number of voters in a precinct requiring such assistance and the voter's ability to

choose someone to assist them.

New Mexico Secretary of State

The New Mexico Secretary of State's Native American Elections Information Program (NAEIP)

broadcasts the election proclamation ahead of every statewide election on KANW-New Mexico Public

Radio during Native Music Hours. The election proclamation as well as important deadlines are

disseminated in four dialects of the Pueblo language: Tiwa, Tewa, Keres and Towa. For more

information about NAEIP, visit: https://www.sos.state.nm.us/voting-and-elections/native-americanelection-information-program/

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Aleut

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According to the American Community Survey (ACS) data, there are nearly 30,000 people of voting
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Best Practices

Prioritize which election materials to translate and finalize the English version. Figure 1 on

the following page provides examples of materials to consider translating.

Contact tribal administrators or community organizations when seeking translators and poll

workers. They can attest to the language proficiency of translators and can provide

ongoing resources.

Invite tribal administrators or community organizations to be a part of the process of

enacting language assistance in your jurisdiction.

Plan the translation process. Work with your language experts to determine what steps will

occur each time a document is translated and how complete each step is.

Design an appropriate review process. Because unwritten languages may not have a

word-for-word translation from English and some unwritten languages are more

descriptive, create a review process that ensures cultural appropriateness and

applicability.

Employ different methods to disseminate election materials. Some examples include audio

files, radio announcements, and public service announcements. This will allow you to

reach voters with multiple language skills.

Ensure voting systems have an audio output usable by voters who can see the screen.

Audio can also be helpful for voters who may not have experience with digital interfaces or

who have low literacy.

Create a dedicated page on your jurisdiction's website to share resources. This will serve

your voters and other election officials as they take on the challenge of providing

resources to their voters.

Create a process to measure voter satisfaction. Conduct surveys or direct outreach to

tribal administrators or community organizations.

Coconino County, Arizona

Coconino County has a dedicated Election Outreach staff member and a Native American Outreach

program to prepare written and audio publications. The outreach staff consists of recognized experts in

translating election materials who coordinate with other northern Arizona counties to ensure that every

county uses the same translation for initiatives and referenda on the ballot. To read more about

Coconino County's in-language news publications and radio announcements, visit:

https://www.coconino.az.gov/489/Media-Sources

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Figure 1 - Materials to Consider Translating

Voter Registration Ballot Materials

Voter registration application and instructions

Confirmation notice

Ballot Instructions

Information on the following:

Sample ballots

Provisional ballots

Any legal notices

Drop box locations

In-person voting locations

How to request a mailed ballot

What to do if a voter makes a mistake on

their ballot

Outreach Materials Website Information

Poll worker recruitment materials

Social media messaging

Radio ads

Television ads

Press releases

Voter registration information

Public portals

Election deadlines

Calendar of events

Accessible voting locations

Contact information

Mental competency information

Accessible voting information

Felony conviction rights information

Military voting information

Alaska Division of Elections

Alaska Division of Elections provides translations for indigenous languages using a translation panel

made up of bilingual experts in the language, elders, and election staff. The translation panel model

allows for collaboration and a higher caliber of translation that is more applicable and culturally

appropriate. Read more about Alaska’s Division of Election Language Assistance Program:

https://www.elections.alaska.gov/Core/languageassistance.php

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