DuPage will print election materials in two languages

DuPage County is one of dozens of jurisdictions across the country ordered by the U.S. Department of Justice to make their elections more accessible to people who lack English proficiency, officials said.

In DuPage, that means the election commission will print election materials in both English and Spanish for the first time. In addition, supplementary election materials will be printed in both languages, Spanish-speaking election judges will be hired in some precincts and the election commission will hire a full-time translator and liaison to Hispanic communities.

The Department of Justice ordered the changes in the wake of the federal census that concluded DuPage’s Hispanic population meets federal requirements for bilingual elections.

Election commission Executive Director Robert Saar said voters will begin seeing the changes with the March 2012 presidential primary.

The mandate comes without any federal funding, election commission officials said.