Language access expert discusses the push for Spanish and Vietnamese ballots in Morrow

Anar Parik is a Senior Policy Associate and Language Access Specialist at Asian Americans Advancing Justice Atlanta. (Courtesy of Anar Parik)

In Morrow, just south of Atlanta, city councilmember Van Tran is hoping to get election materials translated into Spanish and Vietnamese. The city has a growing population of people who speak languages other than English.

Fellow city councilmember Dorothy Dean said Tran’s political work in Vietnamese made her “uncomfortable” and that she is “bringing shame to American citizens.”

Several counties in Georgia and many across the entire country already have multilingual ballots, as it is a federally protected right.