The gym at Dr. Crisp Elementary in Nashua Ward 7 was packed on Tuesday. Moderator Avalon Lewis said above-average turnout made it challenging to get voters through the polls quickly, especially for people who needed extra language help.
“We have individuals that don't speak English, and they need an interpreter,” he said. “Fortunately for us, we do have a couple of Spanish speaking individuals over here, which I found to be really, really helpful.”
In the U.S, towns and cities are required to provide language assistance if the Census determines more than 5% or 10,000 voting age citizens speak English less than “very well.”The bureau releases an updated list every five years with the places that are required to provide assistance.
Even though New Hampshire isn’t required to provide language access by the federal government, the Secretary of State’s office began offering multilingual voter information in 2022. There have also been efforts underway in Nashua from the city clerk’s office and nonpartisan organizations to help people who speak other languages at the polls.
Angela Mercado led a similar effort out of the Community Engagement Training Center. She said her team of volunteers interpreted and offered free rides throughout Nashua. Beyond just language access, she said having a friendly face that speaks your language can help with moral support so voters don’t get intimidated –especially if they’re a new citizen.
“People forget what little English they know because of the nerves,” she said in Spanish. “It worked very well to have interpreters willing to help in different areas and give people the right information.”
However, getting language help was a little more difficult in other parts of the state. Nonpartisan organization Lawyers for Civil Rights had about 100 volunteers at the polls Tuesday and one of the issues they were on the lookout for was language accessibility.
Deputy Litigation Director Sophia Hall said that there were multilingual volunteers that had to step in Salem and Nashua. The organization also had hotlines for voters in Spanish and Arabic and said the state should consider more resources to help voters that don’t speak English.
“If we want to make voting as easy as breathing, if we want to make it accessible for every one of our residents, then we have to put money into those resources,” she said.
