The county is expanding its bilingual ballot option to voters at every polling place in the county.
“We are committed to making it easier for everyone to vote. And that’s what we are going to do,” said Dane County Clerk Scott McDonell.
The ballots will be offered in either Spanish or English.
Currently, the Town of Madison is the only jurisdiction in the county to offer Spanish ballots. The Town has a higher percentage of people who speak Spanish, which requires it to offer ballots in Spanish to remain in compliance with federal requirements under the Voting Rights Act.
“We started talking about how, with the new equipment we bought, if we put a little work into it, we can not only have it for the Town but for everywhere,” McDonell added.
The bilingual ballots, which were county supervisor Jamie Kuhn amendment, will be available on the handicapped-accessible machines, and voters will simply select their desired language.
“So you know how on your ATM you can pick English or Spanish? It will be like that,” McDonell said.
Next week will be a first for #DaneCounty. According to County Clerk, Scott McDonell, Spanish and English ballots will be offered at all polling places. #news3now pic.twitter.com/R1NjYkI3AS
— Stephanie Fryer (@stephfryermedia) February 14, 2019
The county is also looking at the possibility of adding other languages in the future. Early voting is currently underway for the 2019 spring primary, which will be held Tuesday, Feb. 19.
