“Native language speakers win voting rights lawsuit against state”

Alaska Dispatch:

A federal judge in Anchorage ruled Wednesday that the state Elections Division violated the U.S. Voting Rights Act by failing to provide ballot and candidate information in Native languages to Yup’ik and Gwich’in speakers in three rural regions of Alaska. In a big victory for Native rights advocates, U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason rejected the state’s assertions that it had done enough in Southwest Alaska and the Interior by providing bilingual poll workers and “outreach” personnel. Gleason said the state’s effort failed to provide “substantially similar” information in Native languages as it does in English, a requirement of the Voting Rights Act since 1975…. Gleason read her ruling from the bench, citing the urgency of resolving the matter with the general election just two months away. The nine-day non-jury trial concluded July 3….She only ruled on claims with a direct effect on the election, and said she would rule later on another: an assertion the state intentionally violated the constitutional rights of Native language speakers on the basis of race or color.

See also this press release.

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