Kane County needs 50 translators for election

More than 50 bilingual interpreters will be needed to staff Kane County polling places in communities with a sizable Hispanic population, officials learned Wednesday.

The Spanish-English interpreters are needed to fulfill an agreement reached Tuesday between the county and the U.S. Department of Justice, which sued the county for violating the federal Voting Rights Act by not adequately accommodating Spanish-speaking voters.

The 13-page agreement specifies at least one bilingual election judge, poll official or interpreter must be present in any election precinct in which there are 100 to 249 registered voters with Spanish surnames. Precincts in which there are 250 to 499 registered voters with Spanish surnames must be staffed with two translators.

Using data from the census bureau and other sources, Kane County Clerk Jack Cunningham determined 49 precincts will need one interpreter and two will require two interpreters each.

"This is a challenge, but I think we're up to it," Cunningham told the county board's public service committee.

The agreement also orders the county to appoint a Spanish-language election program coordinator and an advisory group to meet regularly to address the issue.

Cunningham has hired Joe Gonzalez, an Aurora resident and former employee of the county's tax extension office, for the coordinator position. He starts Monday, but Cunningham said his salary has not yet been determined.

Nor does Cunningham have a cost estimate for implementing the requirements outlined by the Department of Justice.

"I personally don't think it's going to be that much," he said.

Cunningham said he will model the advisory group on a similar group in Harris County, Texas, where one-third of the residents are Hispanic. Twenty-four percent of Kane County's residents are Hispanic.

Committee member Tom Van Cleave wondered how much help the translators will be given the wordy legalese of many referendum measures.

"Some of those ballot questions, they're hard to understand in English, let alone (for) someone whose first language is Spanish," said Van Cleave, a Batavia Republican.

The federal lawsuit stemmed from voter disenfranchisement claims during the November 2006 election, when many polling places -- most located in areas of Dundee Township with large Hispanic populations -- failed to open on time.

In response, U.S. Department of Justice officials monitored polling places in Carpentersville and Dundee Township during the April elections and determined the county had failed to provide the number of bilingual election judges required by law.