See this Washington Post column. Says Will: “But what public good is advanced by encouraging the participation of people who, by saying they require bilingual assistance, are saying they cannot understand the nation’s political conversation? By receiving such assistance they are receiving a disincentive to become proficient in English.”
First, I think Will is wrong that one needs to read English to understand the nation’s political conversation. There are numerous excellent U.S. publications (and news programs) in other languages that allow those who don’t speak or read English (or don’t understand Engish well) to engage in the nation’s political conversation. Second, when Will asks what public good is advanced, how about the public good that voting is about the allocation of political power among political equals? As I understand it, all citizens should have the same political power, whether they speak English or any other language. Finally, does Will really think that most non-English speaking citizens don’t have enough incentive in this country to learn English? What about the idea that one cannot rise to the highest profesional success in this country without an excellent command of English? English-only ballots will do nothing more than discourage non-English speakers from voting, and maybe that’s Will’s point.