2004 Report - Harris Votes

Harris County, Texas’ Response to Section 203
and the Voting Rights Act of 1965:
Post-2004 General Election
Language Assistance Program Assessment Report
Beverly B. Kaufman
Harris County Clerk
1001 Preston, 4th Floor
Houston, TX 77002
Spring 2005
For More Information, contact:
David Beirne
Director of Public Affairs
Office of Harris County Clerk, Beverly Kaufman
1001 Preston, 4th Floor
Houston, TX 77002
713.755.5792
Contents
I.
Executive Summary
II.
Official Section 203 Federal Guidelines
III.
Vietnamese Language Assistance Program:
A. Introduction
B. Vietnamese Advisory Committee
C. Outreach
D. Assistance Measures
E. Poll Workers
F. Future Plans
IV.
Hispanic Language Assistance Program:
A. Introduction
B. Vietnamese Advisory Committee
C. Outreach
D. Assistance Measures
E. Poll Workers
F. Future Plans
V.
Rating Overall Success
A. Poll Worker Placement and Attendance
B. Survey of Poll Workers
C. Examination of Methodologies (Frequencies of Surnames vs. Census Data)
VI.
Appendices
A. Vietnamese Advisory Committee Members
B. Hispanic Advisory Committee Members
C. Samples of Newspaper Articles
D. Distribution of Voters at Vietnamese Early Voting Location (Nov.-2004)
E. Language Assistance Brochure
F. Poll worker Application
G. Post-Election Poll worker Survey
H. Maps of Hispanic and Vietnamese populations
I. Memorandum of Understanding between the United States Department of Justice and
Harris County
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
On July 26, 2002 Harris County was notified of new Vietnamese language minority requirements
that apply to all election related forms, voting instructions, etc. that are used to disseminate information
to the general public. All official documents, affidavits, and especially ballot language must be
translated into the appropriate language.
Language minority requirements are triggered based on a determination made by the United
States Census Department. These determinations identify two possible criteria that may be met to
require new language minority requirements, one is a population that makes up at least 5% of the
jurisdiction or ten thousand individuals of a single language minority group possessing limited English
proficiency. The latter criteria was used in the assessment of Harris County to trigger new Vietnamese
language requirements in 2002.
The Code of Federal Regulations outlines general responsibilities for each jurisdiction covered
by minority language requirements and details how to properly establish a language assistance program.
A properly structured program will consist of (1) translated documents for processing voters, (2)
establishment of an advisory committee and, (3) an effective outreach program. Throughout the material
published by the United States Department of Justice, and within the Code of Federal Regulations
detailing Section 203, the desire for individual jurisdictions to develop responses unique to their needs
is clear. Key components of a successful Section 203 language assistance program and the efforts
undertaken by Harris County include:
1. Establishment of an Advisory Committee for direct feedback and support from the language
minority group;
2. Development of Language Assistance Materials for all affidavits and election related
publications;
3. Distributing all published legal notices and various display ads in the Vietnamese and Spanish
languages;
4. Recruitment of bilingual poll workers as assistance providers and placement in precincts with 50
or more registered voters with Hispanic or Vietnamese surnames;
5. Translated ballots;
6. Alternate means of language assistance (via telephone);
While Harris County has never received any formal reports from the United States Department
of Justice regarding its past observations on the conduct of the language assistance program, Harris
County was encouraged to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Justice.
The Memorandum of Understanding outlines Harris County’s commitment to working in the community
and the various tasks that Harris County will be responsible for as part of an expanded Section 203
program. While the initial focus of the Memorandum of Understanding was on the Vietnamese
language, these efforts were duplicated for the significant Hispanic population in anticipation of the
2004 General Election. The Memorandum of Understanding is not a consent decree, but is similar to
other expressions between agencies clarifying responsibilities.
Both minority communities were willing to help with the distribution of materials, education of
the public on their rights as voters, and recruitment of bilingual poll workers to serve on Election Day.
A qualified applicant was assigned to each precinct that required a bilingual poll worker. On Election
Day, 73% of the Vietnamese and 79% of the Spanish poll workers actually served at their assignments.
Since the Clerk’s Office was dependent upon a volunteer workforce, the participation was considered
a success due to the expansive nature of our voter education initiative and its focus on an individual’s
right to bring someone of his/her own choosing to the polls. The education and awareness among the
Vietnamese community resulted in nearly twice as many Vietnamese voters voting in the 2004 election
as had voted in 2002, while a positive indication of success, it was an unintended consequence and not
the primary objective. Post-Election meetings of the Advisory Committees reported no complaints from
the community as to a lack of assistance at the polls and agreed to an overall success of the Language
Assistance Program.
During the review phase of Harris County’s Language Assistance Program, concerns were
expressed internally regarding the accuracy and integrity of the methodology encouraged by the
Department of Justice regarding the use of surnames as a sole indicator for Limited English Proficiency.
In our evaluation, it became evident that the use of surnames for the Hispanic community in Harris
County and the State of Texas is not directly related to the need for bilingual assistance. While the use
of surnames should not be discarded, we feel it should not be the only means for targeting areas of need
for the Hispanic or Vietnamese communities. Large numbers of Hispanic and Vietnamese immigrants
continue to move into Harris County, but the resident population continues to be made up of subsequent
generations who do not possess limited English proficiency. Since the criteria used to trigger minority
language requirements is based on Census data, this data which incorporates limited English proficiency,
should be used to begin the targeting process and be coupled with the use of surname frequencies to
reinforce data findings.
Although the best Census data available consists of census blocks which do not correlate directly
with voting precinct boundaries, Harris County has found that an initial visual inspection and ranking
system based on Census findings can better assist the targeting of limited English populations. The use
of Geographic Information System software illustrates this data well and provides the best means for
measuring this data with the use of surname frequencies.
The overall success rate for the entire language assistance program in placing bilingual poll
workers in areas of greatest need was 75% reflecting a successful effort, but also room for improvement.
When isolating areas based on Census data for Limited English Proficiency, the success rate rises to an
average of 80% reflecting an error rate of 5% when using surnames as the sole determinant for areas of
need for bilingual assistance. The combination of aggressive poll worker recruitment and overall voter
education were keys to the success of Harris County’s language assistance program. During upcoming
election cycles, the Harris County Clerk’s Office will look to expand its language assistance program as
it strives for 100% in both assignment and retention rates.
General Note to the Reader: This report on the conduct of the Harris County Clerk’s 2004 language
assistance program is developed for election officials at all levels, but also for the general public.
Each section covers the comprehensive approach undertaken for either Spanish or Vietnamese
language assistance. These sections were drafted as stand alone reports as some jurisdictions may
be more interested in one particular program over another. Our evaluation, detailed in the Section
“Rating Overall Success”, addresses issues for the entire program, consisting of both language
groups.
part II:
Official Section 203
Federal
Guidelines
Federal Guidelines:
A published step-by-step guide to implementing Section 203 compliance measures is covered within the
Code of Federal Regulations, 28 C.F.R. Part 55. Below is a summary of the major facets that should be
incorporated in a Section 203 compliant program:
55.2 Purpose; standards for measuring compliance.
Two basic standards are used by the United States Attorney General in measuring compliance:
1.) Materials and assistance should be provided in a way designed to allow members of applicable language minority groups to be effectively informed of and participate effectively in voting-connected activities; and
2.) An affected jurisdiction should take all reasonable steps to achieve that goal.
(c) The determination of what is required for compliance with section 4(f)(4) and section 203(c) is
the responsibility of the affected jurisdiction. These guidelines should not be used as a substitute for
analysis and decision by the affected jurisdiction.
55.9 Coverage of political units within a county.
Where a political subdivision is determined to be subject to section 4(f)(4) or section 203(c), all political
units that hold elections within that political subdivision (e.g., cities, school districts) are subject to the
same requirements as the political subdivision.
55.15 Affected activities.
Language minority requirements apply to the provision of “any registration or voting notices, forms,
instructions, assistance, or other materials or information relating to the electoral process, including
ballots.” This language should be broadly construed to apply to all stages of the electoral process, from
voter registration through activities related to conducting elections.
55.16 Standards and proof of compliance.
Compliance with the requirements of section 4(f)(4) and section 203(c) is best measured by results.
A jurisdiction is more likely to achieve compliance with these requirements if it has worked with the
cooperation of and to the satisfaction of organizations representing members of the applicable language
minority group. In planning its compliance with section 4(f)(4) or section 203(c), a jurisdiction may,
where alternative methods of compliance are available, use less costly methods if they are equivalent to
more costly methods in their effectiveness.
55.18 Provision of minority language materials and assistance.
(a) Materials provided by mail. If materials provided by mail generally to residents or registered voters
are not all provided in the applicable minority language, the Attorney General will consider whether
an effective targeting system has been developed. For example, a separate mailing of materials in the
minority language to persons who are likely to need them or to residents of neighborhoods in which such
a need is likely to exist, supplemented by a notice of the availability of minority language materials in
the general mailing and by other publicity regarding the availability of such materials may be sufficient.
(b) Public notices. The Attorney General will consider whether public notices and announcements of
electoral activities are handled in a manner that provides members of the applicable language minority
group an effective opportunity to be informed about electoral activities.
(d) Polling place activities. The Attorney General will consider whether polling place activities are
conducted in such a way that members of the applicable language minority group have an effective
opportunity to vote. One method of acccomplishing this is to provide all notices, instructions, ballots,
and other pertinent materials and oral assistance in the applicable minority language. If very few of
the registered voters scheduled to vote at a particular polling place need minority language materials or
assistance, the Attorney General will consider whether an alternative system enabling those few to cast
effective ballots is available.
(e) Publicity. The Attorney General will consider whether a covered jurisdiction has taken appropriate
steps to publicize the availability of materials and assistance in the minority language. Such steps may
include the display of appropriate notices, in the minority language, at voter registration offices, polling
places, etc., the making of announcements over minority language radio or television stations, the
publication of notices in minority language newspapers, and direct contact with language minority group
organizations.
55.19 Written materials
(a) Types of materials. It is the obligation of the jurisdiction to decide what materials must be provided
in a minority language. A jurisdiction required to provide minority language materials is only required
to publish in the language of the applicable language minority group materials distributed to or provided
for the use of the electorate generally. Such materials include, for example, ballots, sample ballots,
informational materials, and petitions.
(b) Accuracy, completeness. It is essential that material provided in the language of a language minority
group be clear, complete and accurate. In examining whether a jurisdiction has achieved compliance
with this requirement, the Attorney General will consider whether the jurisdiction has consulted with
members of the applicable language minority group with respect to the translation of materials.
(c) Ballots. The Attorney General will consider whether a jurisdiction provides the English and minority
language versions on the same document. Lack of such bilingual preparation of ballots may give rise
to the possibility, or to the appearance, that the secrecy of the ballot will be lost if a separate minority
language ballot or voting machine is used.
(d) Voting machines. Where voting machines that cannot mechanically accommodate a ballot in
English and in the applicable minority language are used, the Attorney General will consider whether
the jurisdiction provides sample ballots for use in the polling booths. Where such sample ballots are
used, the Attorney General will consider whether they contain a complete and accurate translation of the
English ballots, and whether they contain or are accompanied by instructions in the minority language
explaining the operation of the voting machine. The Attorney General will also consider whether the
sample ballots are displayed so that they are clearly visible and at the same level as the machine ballot
on the inside of the polling booth, whether the sample ballots are identical in layout to the machine
ballots, and whether their size and typeface are the same as that appearing on the machine ballots.
Where space limitations preclude affixing the translated sample ballots to the inside of the polling
booths, the Attorney General will consider whether language minority group voters are allowed to take
the sample ballots in the voting booths.
55.20 Oral assistance and publicity.
(a) General. Announcements, publicity, and assistance should be given in oral form to the extent needed
to enable members of the applicable language minority group to participate effectively in the electoral
process.
(b) Assistance. The Attorney General will consider whether a jurisdiction has given sufficient attention
to the needs of language minority group members who cannot effectively read either English or
the applicable minority language and to the needs of members of language minority groups whose
languages are unwritten.
(c) Helpers. With respect to the conduct of elections, the jurisdiction will need to determine the number
of bilingual poll workers that must be provided. In evaluating the provision of assistance, the Attorney
General will consider such facts as the number of a precinct’s registered voters who are members of the
applicable language minority group, the number of such persons who are not proficient in English, and
the ability of a voter to be assisted by a person of his or her own choice. The basic standard is one of
effectiveness.
part III:
Vietnamese Language
Assistance
Introduction: Vietnamese Language Assistance
The Harris County Clerk’s Office began their implementation of the Language Assistance Program
in 2002 when they were first notified of the Vietnamese language requirements. The Code of Federal
Regulations published in the Federal Register by the Department of Justice provides an outline to develop
a language assistance program. The outline suggests establishing a Vietnamese Advisory Committee,
developing language assistance materials, and distributing language assistance materials to the Vietnamese
community. The Harris County Clerk’s Office voluntarily entered into a Memorandum of Understanding
with the Department of Justice, mutually expressing a desire for an aggressive poll worker recruitment
effort and a program dedicated towards effectiveness.
In May of 2004, a Vietnamese Voter Outreach Coordinator was hired by the County Clerk. The
Vietnamese Coordinator’s role was to assist with creation and leadership of the programs and efforts to
provide language assistance to Vietnamese voters. The Vietnamese Coordinator was responsible for the
continuation of the Language Assistance Program goals including working with the Vietnamese Advisory
Committee, developing and translating language assistance materials, disseminating language assistance
information to the Vietnamese community, and organizing an effort to recruit bilingual poll workers.
In June of 2004, the Vietnamese Advisory Committee was reconvened to assist with, and advise,
the Language Assistance Program for the Vietnamese community. The goals of the committee were to
provide outreach, recruit bilingual poll workers, effectively distribute materials and improve on programs
by obtaining community feedback. To make voters aware of the assistance available to them, election
information was disseminated through local Vietnamese newspapers, radio stations, and community events.
Materials and programs were created to educate and inform Vietnamese voters of the upcoming election.
Assistance measures to help ease the voting process on Election Day included bilingual phone lines,
website, instructional brochures, and providing assistance to Vietnamese voters in their native language.
Vietnamese/English bilingual poll workers were recruited and placed into all precincts with 50 or more
registered Vietnamese voters. Many community partners and student organizations collaborated with the
County Clerk’s Office in an effort to recruit bilingual poll workers for Election Day. A qualified applicant
was assigned to all precincts that required a bilingual poll worker, however on Election Day, only 70% of
the assigned clerks reported to work at their precincts. Among the Vietnamese registered voters, 45% of
them voted in some form during the November 2, 2004 Election reflecting the continuous positive trend in
turnout as a reflection of the Vietnamese community’s comfort with the election process.
Vietnamese Advisory Committee
The Vietnamese Advisory Committee reconvened in June of 2004 to continue building on the
Language Assistance Program that began in 2002. New leaders from Houston’s Asian Pacific American
Resource Directory were invited to join the committee. Representatives from the Harris County Voter
Registration Department of the Harris County Tax Office were invited and worked closely with the Clerk’s
Office and the Language Assistance efforts. The Vietnamese Advisory Committee met monthly and was
charged with assisting and advising with the Language Assistance program for the Vietnamese community.
The committee’s overall objective was to help facilitate communications between the Clerk’s Office and
the Vietnamese community. Attendance and participation was not as high as anticipated; therefore, new
members were invited throughout the year.
(Appendix A: Committee Roster)
Mission:
The mission of the Vietnamese Advisory Committee was to provide Vietnamese voters, with limited
English proficiency, the materials and information necessary in their primary language to participate
effectively in the political process and make them aware of the elections process and the assistance
measures available to them. The committee provided outreach, recruited bilingual poll workers, effectively
distributed materials and improved on programs by obtaining community feedback.
Objectives:
•
Feedback: Members of the committee were encouraged to develop ideas or provide feedback from
their community organizations on current projects and methods to provide voter education.
•
Outreach: Each organization would assist by seeking community events where information could
be disseminated to the intended target audience. The committee’s main focus was to make sure
voters were aware of the assistance available and their rights as a voter should the County Clerk’s
Office be unable to secure poll workers in all precincts using the 50+ surname threshold. All the
necessary resources would be provided to committee members to disseminate information at their
outreach events.
•
Hiring/Recruitment of Poll Workers: Committee members were encouraged to help recruit poll
workers for Election Day as a supplement to the efforts of the Harris County Clerk.
•
Program/Materials: The committee would help make suggestions on which media to use for
advertising, public service announcements, and other election related information to reach the
intended target audience.
Town Hall Forum
A Town Hall Forum was tentatively planned with the assistance of committee members. The
forum would last approximately two hours. The main purpose of the event was to make the audience
aware of the language assistance programs and the recruitment of bilingual poll workers for Election
Day. The forum would provide an opportunity to inform voters with limited English proficiency of early
voting dates, distribute language assistance brochures, promote the eSlate in Vietnamese, update voter
registration information, let voters know that they can bring a person of their own choosing for Election
Day assistance, and answer any questions that citizens may have about elections in general. The town hall
forum was cancelled due to time constraints, lack of participation amongst committee members, and the
uncertainty of many members on the success of such an event.
Glossary
Currently the Vietnamese language does not have an agreed upon translation of such terms as State
or U.S. Representative, Justice of Supreme Court, or County Attorney. The Clerk’s Office would like to
find the most accurate translation for each term on the ballot and make that the official term used in all
upcoming elections. The purpose is to keep the wording consistent so that it does not confuse voters. The
coordinator put together a glossary that consisted of different translations for each elected official position
incorporating different translations from Language USA, Transcend, and a glossary from Los Angeles
County, California. The glossary was presented to the committee for review. Some members felt that all
the terms were correct and that each term was based on individual preference. The Vietnamese language
does not have a formal language academy to which the Clerk’s Office can refer. (Appendix B: Vietnamese
Glossary)
The Vietnamese Advisory Committee could not agree on a common vocabulary of Vietnamese
election terms due to language differences surrounding the use of translated terms which may be associated
with Vietnamese after the fall of Saigon in 1975. For example, an initial term used for voter identification
was associated with a similar term used in Vietnam after 1975 for government issued identification. In
order to develop consistency in translations and out of sensitivity, the Vietnamese Coordinator will continue
to work with the Advisory Committee and contacts in other government agencies to use the most accurate
and least offensive translations possible. With the passing of the 2004 General Election, Harris County
has now obtained a full listing of terms for all elected offices in Harris County and the State of Texas.
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Outreach
Speaker’s Bureau Program
The County Clerk’s Speakers Bureau Program was created in 2002 for the purpose of providing
general education on Harris County’s new electronic voting system. The Speakers Bureau is made up
of volunteers who want to better educate the community about the new electronic voting system and
the voting process. The Vietnamese Advisory Committee was encouraged to join the Speaker’s Bureau
and provide the same level of service to Vietnamese speaking voters. By joining the Speaker’s Bureau,
members would be well informed on setting up and talking about the eSlate machine and be able to
respond directly to questions at events. Members of the Speaker’s Bureau would also be allowed to check
out voting equipment for demonstrations.
Media
The Vietnamese Community is unique in that it exists in concentrated areas throughout Harris
County and is fragmented with its number of media outlets. As traditionally seen with smaller media
outlets, the amount of overhead increases dramatically so the County Clerk’s office attempted to maximize
advertising to the greatest extent possible given the budgetary guidelines set out for marketing in all three
language communities in Harris County. Listed below are the types of media outlets and specific items
that were used to distribute election information to the Vietnamese community:
Newspapers (See Appendix C)
a. Viet-Tex Newspaper (bilingual) published columns from the Harris County Clerk which kept
voters informed about the upcoming election, language assistance ads that included a poll worker
job description and application, an early voting notification with times and locations, and press
releases.
b. Ngay Nay Newspaper (Vietnamese) published language assistance ads that included a poll worker
job description and application, an early voting notification with times and locations, a listing of
all Election Day polling locations, and press releases.
c. Houston Chronicle Asian Focus (bilingual) published a full page, colored, language assistance
ad that included a poll worker job description and application in the special edition of this
publication.
d. Viet Nam Daily News (Vietnamese) published language assistance ads that included a poll worker
job description and application, and press releases.
e. Dung Lac Bulletin of the Vietnamese Catholic Community of the Galveston-Houston Diocese
(Vietnamese) published a language assistance ad that included a poll worker job description and
application. This publication is distributed to nine Vietnamese churches in the Houston Area.
Television
There is currently no specific television station directed to the Vietnamese community in Harris
County. The Clerk’s Office participated in local minority directed television shows like “Visions” on
ABC 13 KTRK which targeted the Asian American community. The interviews informed viewers about
the Harris County Clerk’s efforts on language assistance and poll worker recruitment. A public service
announcement about the need for bilingual poll workers for Election Day was taped and aired periodically
on ABC13 KTRK locally.
Radio
a. Radio Saigon Houston 900 AM KREH:
Commercials (360 Total Spots): Poll Worker, Language Assistance, eSlate
Talk Shows: September 30: 1 hour, October 18: 20 minutes
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b.
Little Saigon Radio 1520 AM KYND, 880 AM KJOJ:
Commercials (270 total spots): Poll Worker, Language Assistance, eSlate
Talk Shows: 4 shows, 20 minutes each
Public Service Announcements (14 total)
Restaurants
The Vietnamese Coordinator worked with two of the most popular local Vietnamese restaurants to
disseminate information about the efforts to provide language assistance and recruit poll workers.
a. Fu Kim Restaurant agreed to place table tents containing poll worker hiring information on all 50
of their tables.
b. Kim Son Restaurant agreed to place language assistance and poll worker brochures on their
counters at their main location in downtown Houston.
E-mail Distribution
An e-mail distribution list was requested of each organization represented in the advisory committee
so that a newsletter with election information and updates could be sent directly to their members.
Members of the Vietnamese Advisory Committee were not willing to release their members’ e-mails for
confidentiality reasons. Therefore, a newsletter was put together with all the pertinent information and the
committee was requested to help in disseminating the newsletter to their listserv or group e-mail.
Assistance Measures
The Clerk’s Office wanted to make voters aware of their rights as voters, and the opportunities
available to them as voters in anticipation of the 2004 General Election. Listed below are the individual
focus points used to educate the Vietnamese community:
Early Voting
Voters were encouraged to take advantage of early voting. All 32 early voting locations had a
Vietnamese speaking clerk to assist voters. Texas state law permits voters to vote at any one of the 32
early voting locations necessitating the need for Vietnamese bilingual clerks at each location. Voters were
informed that on Election Day, they must vote in their assigned precinct as required under state law. In
anticipation of the possibility that there may not be a Vietnamese speaking clerk at their polling location,
extensive education on individual voting rights was necessary. State and federal law permits a voter to
bring someone of their own choosing to the polling place, provided it is not their employer or labor union
representative. An early voting location was set up at the office of VN TeamWork. VN TeamWork is a
non-profit organization dedicated to helping the Vietnamese community. VN TeamWork was responsible
for staffing the location during early voting and on Election Day and provided a recognizable location for
the Vietnamese voters to visit and cast their ballot. (See Appendix D)
Voters’ Rights
State and federal law allow voters to bring someone of your own choosing to help you translate as
long as it is not an employer or labor union representative. Because a bilingual poll worker could not be
placed in every polling location on Election Day, a dedicated effort was made to make every voter aware
of this right. Brochures stating voters’ rights and language assistance information were available at all
outreach events, libraries, and community partners’ offices. (See Appendix E)
Phone Lines
A phone line was set up with a Vietnamese prompt and Vietnamese speaking operators to answer
questions and provide assistance.
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Website
All Election information is available in Vietnamese on www.harrisvotes.com, the official election
website of the Harris County Clerk’s Office. The website provides information about precinct locations,
early voting dates, times, and locations, and all other election related materials. Online poll worker
applications were available on the website. The incorporation of website material was a supplemental
effort as feedback from the advisory committee indicated Vietnamese speaking voters are less likely to use
the website as a source of information.
Translations
As of January 2004, all election related materials and information is now available in Vietnamese
including the ballot translated into Vietnamese directly on the eSlate voting system.
Poll Workers
Assessments
Pursuant to the Memorandum of Understanding, it has been determined that in precincts where
there are 50 or more registered voters with Vietnamese surnames, a Vietnamese/English bilingual poll
worker will be placed to the extent possible. When the coordinator began placing poll workers, the
most up to date assessment resulted in the need for 144 Vietnamese/English bilingual poll workers. The
Vietnamese coordinator used these 144 precincts for placements leading up to the voter registration
deadline. The second assessment using information from the Voter Registrar’s Office after the voter
registration deadline for the November 2, 2004 Election revealed an additional 17 precincts that required
a bilingual poll worker, based on the 50+ surname threshold, resulting in a total of 161 precincts by
Election Day. The Vietnamese coordinator started poll worker placements before the voter registration
deadline; therefore, there was more focus on filling the first 144 precincts.
In order to better assess the current state of bilingual assistance available at the polling place, the County
Clerk’s Office conducted a survey prior to the 2004 General Election season asking for direct feedback
from election officials on the presence of voters requiring language assistance during the last election.
The election clerks’ responses to the survey were analyzed and produced the following results:
In the 172 precincts where election clerks indicated that they definitely had Vietnamese speaking voters at their site:
• 7 precincts had a Vietnamese/English bilingual poll worker; only 3 of these had 50 or more voters with a Vietnamese surname;
• 76 precincts had language assistance but could not specify whether the assistance was in Vietnamese or Spanish; only 31 of these had 50 or more voters with a Vietnamese surname;
• 63 precincts did not have any language assistance; only 15 of these had 50 or more voters with a Vietnamese surname;
• Election clerks from 16 of those precincts answered both ‘yes’ and ‘no’ to the question of whether they had a bilingual poll worker on site; only 10 of these had 50 or more voters with a Vietnamese surname;
• Election clerks from 10 of those precincts could not specify whether there was language assistance; only 3 of these had 50 or more voters with a Vietnamese surname;.
The pre-election survey was one aspect of the overall assessment. The survey was combined with a
list of precincts that met the threshold of requiring a bilingual poll worker (50 or more registered voters
with a Vietnamese surname) to produce the above results. In total, the result of the survey indicated
that 7 precincts had a bilingual person or an individual with a Vietnamese surname working at the poll
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recently. These precincts covered 561 Harris County registered voters with a Vietnamese surname.
There were to be 755 polling locations on November 2, 2004 in Harris County. The precincts that
met the requirement to have a Vietnamese bilingual poll worker (50 registered voters with Vietnamese
surnames) numbered 161. Of those polling locations, approximately 8 were staffed through the efforts
of the precinct judge in response to the directive to Judges to self-staff with a bilingual poll. After the
initial assessment, there was an initial effort to place early voting bilingual poll workers into a precinct
on Election Day which resulted in the placement of 18 bilingual poll workers. This left a total of 135,
out of the original 161, polling locations that the Voter Outreach Coordinator needed to directly staff for
the 2004 General Election
Recruitment Efforts
• Vietnamese Advisory Committee members were requested to recruit poll workers
• Several events were organized in the community to recruit poll workers;
•
Ads informing the public of the need for poll workers were placed on local television, radio stations and in newspapers;
• The County Clerk’s Office participated in local career fairs to recruit poll workers;
• Help wanted signs were placed in local Vietnamese stores and at colleges;
• The voter outreach coordinator also set up meetings with Vietnamese student organizations, Asian sororities, and fraternities;
• Local Vietnamese churches were involved in an effort to recruit bilingual poll workers;
• Committee members helped by putting informational flyers about poll worker positions at the majority of shops in Hong Kong Supermarket and on Bellaire Boulevard (areas that targeted a large Asian & Vietnamese community), Houston Community College, and several other colleges;
• Applications as well as voter registration cards were handed out at naturalizing ceremonies;
Over 200 applications were received from Vietnamese bilingual individuals that wanted to work on
Election Day as poll workers. Of those, approximately 150 individuals were eligible citizens registered
to vote in Harris County, meeting all the requirements to work as an elections clerk in Texas.
The largest number of applications received came via e-mail and was a direct result of radio public
service announcements which aired at regular intervals on Radio Saigon-Houston and Little Saigon
Radio for four weeks. The second most effective recruiting vehicle was setting up displays at
predominately Vietnamese community events where people could apply for the position in person. All
individuals that submitted an application received a thank you and acknowledgement letter from the
County Clerk.
Placement
Applicants had several opportunities to apply for the poll worker position. Applications were
available at all outreach events, libraries, annexes, community partner offices, and directly from the
County Clerk’s Office. Applications were accepted by mail, fax, or in person. Applicants were able
to apply online or by phone by calling the coordinator. Using a map of polling locations, poll workers
were placed in the precinct nearest their home that required a poll worker within the distance the worker
was willing to travel based on their response in the application (See Appendix F). Once all poll workers
were placed, a letter of acceptance and placement was sent out along with a reply card. The letter served
as the poll worker’s credentials to work on Election Day. Poll workers were asked to send back the
response card stating whether they chose to accept or decline the assignment and to mark which training
session they would attend. The coordinator then continued replacing those who declined to work or did
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not respond. The placement of poll workers was a continuous effort until Election Day.
Again, 161 polling locations needed to be staffed with a bilingual poll worker. Individuals were selected
from a large pool of applicants from across the county subsequently assigned to every precinct requiring
a bilingual poll worker. The multi-pronged strategy to recruit bilingual poll workers enabled the Clerk’s
Office to achieve 100% placement as of the voter registration deadline, October 4th, 2004.
Poll assignment procedures were as follows:
a)
Individuals were first matched to their home precinct;
b)
Applicants were then matched to a precinct within their home zip code;
c)
If option one and two were exhausted, a person was matched to a precinct in an adjacent zip code or within the ‘willing to travel’ radius;
d)
As Election Day approached, individuals were placed based on their willingness to work. This was determined by how often and how late in the recruitment campaign they called to inquire about the placement after submitting an application.
(Note: All placements were made respecting the distance an applicant was willing to travel, as the
applicant indicated on the poll worker application):
Training
Poll workers were required to attend a formal training session in order to work. Five training
sessions were conducted throughout Harris County at different dates and times in order to accommodate
all poll workers. Under Texas State law, poll workers must be fluent in English; therefore, all training
sessions were conducted in English. Training sessions served as an opportunity for employees from the
County Clerk’s Office to verify that all poll workers would be able to communicate with the Election
Judge and other election clerks. All poll workers were provided with a training package which included:
•
An assignment letter from the County Clerk. The letter stated their assigned Election Day location and served as the poll worker’s credentials for employment on Election Day;
•
A map to the poll worker’s assigned location;
•
A training manual on language assistance and the eSlate voting system;
•
A badge that stated in Vietnamese that the poll worker was bilingual and could assist anyone who needed assistance. Bilingual poll workers were required to wear the badge throughout the day.
Future Plans
The Vietnamese Advisory Committee was established to support the implementation of the
Language Assistance Program. The County Clerk’s Office wanted to create a constructive partnership to
realize the goals of the program through the committee. Although supportive, the Committee Members
seemed to perceive themselves more as monitors of the effort and not as equal partners that needed to
provide tangible and concrete support to insure the successful implementation of the Program. As a
result, attendance was sporadic and the burden of realizing the goals of the program was placed entirely
on the Clerk’s Office, and not on the Vietnamese Advisory committee. In the future, the committee’s
success will rely on the infusion of new members on an annual basis to compensate for organization
turnover, but also to remove institutional perceptions of the committee’s role as an oversight body versus
an advisory committee. For more information on the Vietnamese language assistance program contact:
Tina Trinh
Voter Outreach Coordinator
Harris County Clerk
1001 Preston, 4th Floor
Houston, TX 77002
ttrinh@cco.hctx.net
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part IV:
Hispanic Language
Assistance
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Introduction
Enclosed is a Language Assistance Program Assessment Report which has been prepared to
provide an overview of the implementation of the Language Assistance Program for limited English
proficient voters of Hispanic origin in Harris County, Texas, the nation’s third largest county. The area
of information to be covered by this Assessment Report includes the goals, activities and outcomes of
the language assistance program as it pertains to the significant Hispanic community in Harris County,
Texas.
The report focuses on the activities that were implemented by the County Clerk’s Office during the
period beginning Monday, May 3, 2004 through Tuesday, November 2, 2004, General Election Day. The
activities and work elements were identified by the Clerk’s Office in conjunction with the United States
Department of Justice as important to implementing a successful Language Assistance Program.
The report also evaluates which elements and activities were most effective and steps that could be
taken in the future to enhance the Language Assistance Program. The growth of the Hispanic population
in the last 30 years has made it a vital segment of the Harris County community. According to the
“Houston Area Survey 1982-2002” during the 1970’s the number of Hispanics in the greater Houston
area doubled. In the 1980’s, the population expanded by 75%. By 1990, 22.8% of the county’s residents
were Hispanic. Today, the U.S. Census estimates that Hispanics constitute more than 33% of Harris
County’s total population. Of those, according to experts, approximately two-thirds are first generation
Americans.
Although voting materials have been provided in the Spanish language since 1975, a survey of
precinct judges indicated that approximately half of the precincts in the County with 50 registered voters
or more with a Hispanic surname did not have a bilingual poll worker. For that reason, the Language
Assistance Program was launched for Hispanic voters with limited English Proficiency on May 4, 2004.
Section 203 of the Federal Voting Rights Act of 1975 requires Harris County and all its political
subdivisions to provide all election notices, forms, instructions, assistance and other registration materials
and information (including ballots) in Spanish as well as in English and Vietnamese. The mission of the program is to provide voters of Hispanic origin, with limited English proficiency,
the information, materials and assistance needed to access the electoral process. This mission was carried
out in 2004 with a concurrent objective of educating Hispanic voters about their right to bring a person
of their own choosing to the poll to provide language assistance. In addition, the mission was carried out
by recruiting personnel to provide bilingual assistance in precincts with 50 or more registered voters who
had Hispanic surnames. After assessing the needs, available resources and scale of the task, the following
activities were prioritized for the implementation of the Language Assistance Program: a) development
of materials, b) the creation of an advisory committee and c) the provision of bilingual assistance at the
polls:
Hispanic Advisory Committee:
A Hispanic Advisory Committee was created to monitor and support the implementation of the
Language Assistance Program. As a core component to measuring minority language compliance, the
advisory committee provides valuable feedback and support. Key elements to the relationship between
the County Clerk’s Office and the Advisory committee included:
• The Advisory Committee’s membership was composed of leaders from educational institutions,
secular and faith-based community organizations, corporations, government agencies and other
citizens who were motivated to actively participate in actualizing the objectives of the Language
Assistance Program;
• The Hispanic Advisory Committee was convened at regular intervals; the second Wednesday of
the month starting in June, 2004. During the implementation of Language Assistance Program,
committee members were reminded of scheduled meetings by electronic mail two weeks prior to
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and on the week of the event.
• To maximize participation, the Hispanic Advisory Committee meetings were held at a centrally
located and accessible site in the Hispanic community;
Overall, the Advisory Committee aided the Clerk’s Office in developing a multi-layered communications
network involving Hispanics throughout Harris County. The Committee members served as real partners
in launching a historic initiative rather than seeing their role as monitors or critics of the effort.
Below is a comprehensive listing of the Hispanic Advisory Committee participants and their contributions
included:
Corporations:
Clear Channel Outdoor- In addition to providing consultation, Clear Channel representatives made
available billboards to promote the election in Spanish, Vietnamese and English.
El Dia Newspaper- The first Spanish language daily newspaper in Houston afforded the Clerk’s Office
the opportunity to share vital information regarding the election via an in-kind, bimonthly column.
Column topics included:
▫“The County Clerk’s Office”-The column introduced the Clerk’s Office to Hispanic voters. It provided an overview of the Clerk’s capacity including her role as Chief Elections official of the county;
▫“The Language Assistance Program for Hispanic Voters”-The column introduced the Language Assistance Program to Hispanic voters; focusing on the who, what, where, why and how of the program;
▫“New citizens can help sustain democracy”- The column discussed the initiative to educate naturalized citizens of the importance of their role as new voters at the U.S. Citizenship ceremonies;
▫“Opportunity to work on Election Day”-The column provided Hispanic voters the particulars on working as a bilingual poll worker;
▫“Steps voters need to take to insure an agreeable experience at the polls”; The column provided Hispanic voters information on what they could do to expedite the process at the poll on Election Day;
▫“Eligible voters may vote by mail”- The column offered information on who can vote by mail and how to apply for a mail ballot;
▫“Lack of time is not a sufficient excuse not to vote”- The column provided information on the Early Voting Period and encouraged voters to take advantage of it.
▫“TO VOTE: Turn the wheel and press ‘ENTER’”-The column provided instruction on how to operate the eSlate electronic voting system.
El Día also published the Early Voting Schedule and polling locations for Election Day.
Univisión 45/ Telefutura 67- The local affiliates of the television networks of Univisión and Telefutura
incorporated the Language Assistance Program as part of their annual voter education campaign. The
vast majority of the support Univisión gave was provided as an in-kind donation in the form of public
service messages or featured stories.
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They provided vital election-related information to the Hispanic citizenry at every important stage of
the 2004 Election cycle, via:
▫ The Nuestra Vida Community Affairs Program-The Clerk’s Office was featured four times
on segments of the Nuestra Vida program to promote the launching of the Language Assistance
Program and explain its goals, convey important election-related information and remind Hispanic
voters about important election dates;
▫ Public Service Announcements-in conjunction with the Clerk’s Office, Univisión produced
and aired (for four weeks) a public service announcement specifically recruiting bilingual poll
workers, promoting the deadline to register to vote, the Early Voting Schedule and the General
Election Day;
▫ Special Program- Univisión public affairs division produced a special Election 2004
program that featured a segment with Election Day-related information;
▫ Univisión 45 News- The news department worked with the Clerk’s Office to provide
information regarding the election at important intervals as the election approached; Univisión Radio- As part of the Univisión network, Univisión Radio also incorporated the Language
Assistance Program as part of their annual voter education campaign. The vast majority of the support
Univisión Radio gave was provided as an in-kind donation.
They provided vital information during the election cycle to the Hispanic population via:
▫ La Voz del Pueblo Community Affairs Program- La Voz del Pueblo promoted the poll
worker opportunity every Monday until mid October;
▫ Univisión Radio Station-Univisión Radio’s multiple radio stations in the Southeast Texas
Market aired public service announcements promoting the bilingual poll worker opportunity and
the election.
Fiesta Mart, Inc. - Fiesta provided support to the Language Assistance Program by sponsoring booths
at major Hispanic events where the Clerk’s Office Public Affairs staff conducted demonstrations of the
eSlate electronic voting system, disseminated information about the election and recruited bilingual
poll workers.
Southwest Bank of Texas- In addition to providing consultation, the Southwest Bank of Texas
sponsored the food and drinks at several advisory committee meetings and special events. Overall,
Southwest Bank of Texas was very supportive of the Language Assistance Program initiative.
Telemundo 47- This local Spanish language television network affiliate distributed information about
the poll worker opportunity at their annual Health Fair and through their news division.
Educational Institutions:
Houston Community College Systems (HCCS)- The leadership of various branches of the Houston
Community College System afforded the Clerk’s Office the opportunity to recruit poll workers at
college job fairs. Additionally, the Director of Public Affairs at the HCC Southeast College and the
Northeast HCCS Student Life Coordinators were active participants in the Advisory Committee. In
total, HCCS played a major role in insuring access to the voting process by providing space at campuses
throughout Houston where recruits were trained to provide bilingual assistance at the polls.
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Houston Independent School District- The Houston Independent School District (HISD) hosted a
meeting between the Clerk’s Office and the Independent School Districts within Harris County. The
meeting was held to discuss how each ISD could play a role in supporting the implementation of the
county’s Language Assistance Program. As a result, HISD directed their schools via memoranda to
provide assistance in carrying out elements of the Language Assistance Program, including facilitating
demonstration of the eSlate electronic voting system, disseminating information and recruiting bilingual
poll workers.
Secular and Faith-Based Community Organizations:
Hispanic Ministers Against Crime-The ministers worked to recruit bilingual poll workers at their
general monthly gatherings. The Ministers’ group consists of over 30 leaders of Protestant churches in
Harris County. The president of the Hispanic Ministers was a vocal presence at the monthly advisory
committee meetings. Several of the ministers provided bilingual assistance at polls on Election Day.
Galveston-Houston Catholic Diocese-The Galveston-Houston Diocese helped in recruiting bilingual
poll workers by providing an announcement in each church bulletin in Harris County. Additionally, the
Diocese allowed demonstrations of eSlate electronic voting system at churches with majority Hispanic
membership.
GANO CARECEN- The non-profit organization was invited to participate because it is dedicated to
assisting Texans of Central American origin. CARECEN provided support to the county by spreading
word about the need for bilingual poll workers in the non-Mexican community in Southwest Houston,
an area that has transformed into a new Hispanic community in Harris County in the last decade.
Hispanic Women in Leadership-The Hispanic Women in Leadership non-profit organization
disseminated information about the poll worker opportunity among their members via e-mail and
other means.
Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (HHCC)- The HHCC President was a strong supporter
of the goals of the Advisory Committee. After a meeting with the president, the HHCC extended an
open invitation for Clerk’s Office staff to recruit poll workers at the organization’s monthly breakfast
and other events.
LULAC National Educational Service Center (LNESC)- The LNESC was invited to participate
on the committee to promote the bilingual poll worker opportunity among high school and college
students.
The NALEO Educational Fund-The NALEO Educational Fund led the effort to demonstrate the
eSlate electronic voting system and disseminate information pertaining to Early Voting at Catholic
churches with a majority Hispanic membership and other locations throughout Harris County.
This civic organization also spearheaded the effort to distribute poll worker applications at all U.S.
citizenship ceremonies.
National Association of Latina Leaders- This non-profit national organization was invited to provide
advice and support to the effort to implement the language assistance program.
Neighborhood Centers Inc., Ripley House- The area manager and leadership of the NCI Ripley House
welcomed the Clerk’s Office to its site on a regular basis and were very welcoming. The Ripley House
hosted the monthly HarrisVotes Advisory Committee meetings and a special community outreach
kick-off event. Also, the Ripley House helped demonstrate the eSlate electronic voting system to its
clients and disseminated information regarding the bilingual poll worker opportunity on daily basis
during the 2004 election cycle.
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Nuestra Palabra - The nonprofit literary organization provided advice and helped demonstrate the
eSlate electronic voting system and recruit bilingual poll workers at the organization’s annual major
events, including the nationally renowned Latino Book and Family Festival.
Pasadena Hispanic Business Association - This non-profit business organization was invited to
participate to provide guidance in reaching out to the growing Hispanic community in Southeast Harris
County.
Project GRAD (Graduation Really Achieves Dreams) -Houston-The local affiliate of this national
organization provided advice and helped distribute information about the poll worker opportunity
in their network of schools. The idea to conduct demonstrations at the Catholic churches originated
from the input of Project GRAD. Project GRAD-Houston also had many ideas about how the Clerk’s
Office could work with the organization to educate students about the electoral process on a year-round
basis.
Puerta del Sur- A non-profit organization whose membership consists of business and community
leaders of South American origin, they provided advice and helped distribute information about the
bilingual poll worker opportunity.
Tejano Center for Community Concerns (TCCC)-The TCCC provided advice and helped distribute
information about the poll worker opportunity. TCCC also invited the Clerk’s Office to participate in
its Health and Education Fair.
Government Entities:
Harris County Commissioner Precinct 2- Commissioner Sylvia R. Garcia’s office provided guidance,
disseminated countless numbers of brochures in her district, supporting the recruitment of bilingual
poll workers and monitored the implementation of the Language Assistance Program.
City of Houston- After a meeting with the Clerk’s Office, the Director of the City’s Citizens Assistance
Office requested that his staff, at community centers throughout Houston, help promote the Language
Assistance Program by incorporating elements of the initiative into regularly scheduled activities,
including programs targeting seniors. The City was well represented at the meeting by an experienced
public affairs/community outreach representative from a major department and by the City’s Director
of Citizens Assistance Office.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (CIS)-The U.S.CIS afforded the opportunity to distribute
Poll Worker Applications to newly naturalized citizens at the monthly U.S. Citizenship Ceremonies
from June through October. Over 6,000 poll worker applications were distributed at the ceremonies
where the majority of the individuals taking the oath of citizenship were individuals of Hispanic and
Vietnamese origin. The poll worker application was disseminated as part of a ‘Welcome to United
States Citizenship’ package provided to each naturalization candidate at the entrance of the stadium.
This effort was conducted in conjunction with the NALEO Educational Fund.
Puerto Rican Federal Affairs Administration (PRFAA)-The PRFAA provided consultation and
support to the implementation of the Language Assistance Program, helped disseminate information
about the poll worker opportunity among their members and at their monthly events. This organization
was the first to do a mass e-mail to their members supporting the Language Assistance Program and
promote the recruitment of bilingual poll workers.
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Political Entities:
Republican National Hispanic Assembly (RHNA)- Members of the RHNA were invited to participate
to provide advice and support.
Service Employees International Union (SEIU)-The SEIU helped distribute information about the
poll worker opportunity in the Hispanic community.
Tejano Democrats- Members of the Tejano Democrats provided advice, helped distribute information
about the poll worker opportunity and monitored the effort. The group was well represented by members
of its leadership who also work for elected officials that represent heavily Hispanic populated political
districts.
Outreach
Although the Hispanic Committee members provided valuable support and informed the County
Clerk’s office of upcoming events, the success of the language assistance program continued to rely on
having volunteers at these events to circulate information. At the inception of the language assistance
program, two primary marketing pieces were developed to aid in our community outreach efforts.
Poll Worker Application Information and Application Brochure-An important piece of a Language
Assistance Program is the development of a Poll Worker Information and Application Brochure. The poll
worker information and application brochure served as the primary outreach piece. The brochure provided
information and set the tone for the program. Specifically, the brochure provided:
• The information about the job: including the requirements, a brief job description, the compensation
and a detachable pre-addressed application;
• An explanation of the elections administration process-it explained how individuals are selected
to work as poll workers and the role of the County Clerk as the chief elections official of Harris
County;
• A letter from the County Clerk inviting the public to apply to work as poll workers while
encouraging the targeted community to participate because of the vital nature of their support in
the implementation of the Language Assistance Program.
The brochure was printed in English since poll workers must be able to communicate with Election Judges
as required under Texas State Law.
Language Assistance Brochure- A brochure explaining the Language Assistance Program was produced
in English, Spanish and Vietnamese. The goals of this brochure were to:
• Ιnform individuals that a Language Assistance Program existed, why it existed and which language
populations it served;
• Εxplain what kind of assistance voters could receive;
• Εncourage voters of Hispanic origin to notify the Clerk’s Office using the pre-addressed detachable
section if they need Spanish language election materials or information.
While the development of this piece was important, in Texas, Spanish language elections information and
materials have been in place since 1975, so the response was limited. (Appendix E)
Miscellaneous Materials - The Voter Outreach Coordinators worked closely with the Clerk’s Office to
enhance translations on previously produced oral and written election materials and outreach/educational
items such as ballot instructions and the Early Voting Schedule.
Public Service Announcements- Messages were developed to promote aspects of the Language Assistance
Program through mass media in the Hispanic community, including banners, billboards, television public
service announcements and election notices. The messages were in English and Spanish.
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□ eSlate Electronic Voting System Demonstration- As part of the Language Assistance Program the
voter outreach coordinator incorporated demonstrations of the eSlate electronic voting system. The idea
was to engage voters by attracting attention to the voting system, simultaneously educating voters about
the new system and recruiting poll workers.
The following is a listing of objectives the Clerk’s Office achieved by implementing the above-mentioned
activities.
• Οutreach/educational items unique to the interests of the Hispanic community were developed and
distributed to the Hispanic community;
• The Hispanic Advisory Committee was created to provide tangible support in implementing the
core aspects of the Language Assistance Program while providing feedback on the progress in its
implementation;
• A communication network was developed at all levels of the community that was used effectively
to convey elections information to the Hispanic community. Print, television, and radio were used
to disseminate information to limited English proficient voters of Hispanic origin;
• The Clerk’s Office worked with various political subdivisions within Harris County who are also
subject to Hispanic language requirements pursuant to Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act to
identify events to disseminate election information and materials in the Hispanic community;
• Individuals, educational institutions, churches and non-profit organizations provided opportunities
for hands-on demonstrations of the electronic voting system;
• The Clerk’s Office promoted the fact that Harris County Hispanic and Vietnamese voters can play
a significant role in the successful implementation of a Language Assistance Program by signing
up to work as bilingual election clerks on Election Day;
• Hispanic voters were educated on their rights, including the right to bring someone of their own
choosing to provide language assistance at the polls (provided the person is not the voter’s employer,
or a labor union representative);
Poll Workers
The overall effectiveness of the Language Assistance Program would rely on the ability of County Clerk
staff to place individual poll workers into those precincts identified as having the greatest need. Using
the methodology set out and encouraged by the Department of Justice, the list of registered voters in
Harris County was analyzed for Hispanic surnames. The method used in the assessment of precincts and
placement of Hispanic poll workers is outlined below in four basic steps:
1) Assessing the need for Bilingual Assistance at the Polls- The first step in placing bilingual poll
workers at precincts with 50 Hispanic registered voters or more was conducting a needs assessment. To
assess the need for bilingual poll workers on Election Day, the Clerk’s Office surveyed election clerks in
Harris County after the 2002 General & Special Election and asked the following two questions:
1) Do you have Hispanic or Vietnamese voters in your precinct?
2) Do you have a bilingual poll worker to attend to limited English proficient voters?
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The election clerks responses to the survey were analyzed and the assessment produced the following
results:
• In 184 precincts, all election clerks for the location provided a unanimous ‘yes’ to the question of
whether they had a bilingual poll worker on site;
• In 80 precincts, clerks in the same polling location answered both ‘yes’ and ‘no’ to the question of
whether they had a bilingual poll worker on site. In these precincts, the ‘yes’ outnumbered the ‘no’
by approximately a 2 to 1 margin;
• Election clerks in 106 precincts provided a unanimous ‘no’ to the question whether they had a
bilingual poll worker on site; however, for 5 of these precincts a list of presiding judges and
alternate judges reflected that the clerk with a Hispanic surname had served at these locations in
the past;
• In another 29 precincts there was no response from election clerks, but a list of presiding judges
and alternate judges reflected that a clerk with a Hispanic surname had served at these locations in
the past;
• Election clerks in 375 precincts did not respond to the survey; a review of presiding judges and
alternate judges in these precincts indicated that 29 of these precincts had a clerk with a Hispanic
surname serve in the past and the remaining precincts (346) had not had a clerk with a Hispanic
surname;
• In 19 precincts, the responses from election clerks were not clear or incomplete.
In total, the result of the survey indicated that 298 precincts have had a bilingual person or an individual
with a Hispanic surname working at the poll recently. These precincts covered over 119,491 of Harris
County registered voters with a Hispanic surname. There were to be 755 polling locations on November
2, 2004 in Harris County. The precincts that met the requirement to have a Spanish bilingual poll worker
(50 registered voters with Hispanic surnames) numbered 652. Of those polling locations, approximately
290 were staffed through the efforts of the precinct judge in response to the directive to Judges to self staff
with a bilingual poll worker. This left a total of 362 polling locations that the voter outreach coordinator
needed to directly staff.
2) Recruitment of Bilingual Poll Workers: Various strategies were employed to maximize the promotion
of the poll worker opportunities and to recruit bilingual personnel:
• Precinct Judges were directly encouraged to recruit a bilingual poll worker if their precinct met the
50 Hispanic or Vietnamese voter threshold. An internal deadline was set as Precinct Judges were
instructed to notify the Clerk’s Office on the prospects of the recruitment effort as soon as possible;
otherwise, the voter outreach coordinators would consider the precinct as “in-need” of a bilingual
poll worker;
• Harris County Department heads were provided the Poll Worker Application Brochure to
disseminate to their employees;
• Poll Worker Application Brochures were provided to both major political parties in Harris County
for distribution;
• Poll Worker Application Brochures were made available to the public at all County annex buildings
and libraries;
• Αdvertisements and public service announcements were distributed to Spanish Language Radio
and Television. Both television and newspaper advertisements directed individuals to apply via
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the website;
• Τhousands of copies of the Poll Workers Application were distributed at U.S. citizenship ceremonies
that took place in June and October of 2004;
• Ηundreds of poll worker applications were disseminated at all outreach events, including job fairs,
health fairs, and eSlate demonstrations;
As a result, the Hispanic community was successfully saturated with information pertaining to the elections
process and the need for bilingual poll workers on Election Day. Approximately one thousand applications
were received from individuals that wanted to work on Election Day as poll workers. Of those, approximately
700 individuals were eligible citizens registered to vote in Harris County, meeting the requirements to work
as an elections clerk in Texas. The largest number of applications that were received came via e-mail and
were a direct result of television public service announcement which aired at regular intervals on Univisión
45 and Telefutura 67 for four weeks. Telephone lines were flooded with calls for approximately two weeks
after a brief mention about the Language Assistance Program bilingual poll worker recruitment effort on
Univisión’s 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. news. The second most effective recruiting vehicle was attending job fairs,
health fairs and displaying ‘NOW HIRING-BILINGUAL POLL WORKERS’ signage at schools, colleges
and community events. Poll worker applications were also completed and returned by newly naturalized
citizens. All individuals that submitted an application received a thank you and acknowledgement letter
from the County Clerk.
3) Placement of Bilingual Poll Workers: Again, 362 polling locations needed to be staffed with a
bilingual poll worker. One person was selected from a large pool of applicants from across the county and
subsequently assigned to every precinct requiring a bilingual poll worker. The multi-pronged strategy to
recruit bilingual poll workers enabled the Clerk’s Office to achieve 100% placement.
Poll assignment procedures were as follows (Note: All placements were made respecting the distance an
applicant was willing to travel, this was determined from a question on the poll worker application):
a) Individuals were first matched to their home precinct;
b) Applicants were then matched to a precinct within their home zip code;
c) If option one and two were exhausted, a person was matched to a precinct in an adjacent zip code
or within the ‘willing to travel’ radius;
d) As Election Day approached, individuals were placed based on their willingness to work. This
was determined by how often and how late in the recruitment campaign they called to inquire
about placement after submitting an application.
4) Bilingual Poll Worker Training: All selected applicants were invited to attend a training class. Once
placements were completed, applicants who were matched with a precinct were notified by mail and
invited to return a pre-addressed and metered RSVP card confirming that they accepted their assignment.
Follow-up telephone calls were made to persons that were assigned but who did not respond by postcard
or electronic mail. Of the 362 assignments, approximately 300 responded. New applicants were assigned
to the precincts that still needed a confirmed worker. Almost 240 assigned applicants attended the training
sessions. On Election Day, 220 bilingual poll workers reported to their assigned precinct to work.
The training sessions were conducted with the cooperation of Houston Community College System
campuses throughout the greater Houston Area. On an RSVP card, individuals were given the option of
selecting one of several scheduled training classes. Training classes were offered in each quadrant of the
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county; Northeast, Northwest, Southeast and Southwest. One make-up training class took place in the
heart of Harris County.
At the training class, assigned poll workers were provided an Election Day Package that included:
• A letter from the Clerk’s Office authorizing the individuals to work at a specific precinct. Letters
were to be presented to the presiding precinct judge;
• A Badge that said in Spanish, “Hi I speak Spanish. How can I help you?”;
• A map that provided directions to the assigned polling location;
• An instruction manual titled Providing Election Assistance: Interacting Successfully with Harris
County Voters;
• An e-Slate Electronic Voting System How-To guide;
Assigned poll workers that did not attend the training were contacted by telephone before Election Day.
If the person was still interested in working, they were told to show up to their assigned polling location
with the authorization letter, present it to the presiding judge and rely on the judge for guidance. Training
classes were scheduled every other day, starting exactly one week prior to Election Day. Three training
classes were scheduled on a weekday at 7 p.m. Two classes took place on a Saturday, one at 11 a.m. and
the other at 1 p.m. The training classes were conducted in English. The instructor reviewed the language
assistance manual with assigned applicants. Applicants were informed that to receive compensation for
the training individuals had to fulfill their Election Day assignment.
Future Plans
In a period of six short months, the Clerk’s Office was able to develop and implement a successful Language
Assistance Program dedicated to limited English proficient voters of Hispanic origin. The success of the
effort was due to the focused scope of the program. Still, like any program, there are steps that can be
implemented to ensure its continued development and future success.
1) The campaign to recruit poll workers via public service announcements should begin early to
create a pool of applicants large enough to allow assignments to be completed by the deadline to
register to vote, (30 days prior to Election Day);
2) A deadline, up to two weeks, before Election Day should be provided to Election Judges to find
a bilingual poll worker on their own so that vacancies can be securely filled and poll workers are
trained well before Election Day;
3) The County Clerk’s Office needs to continue to reinforce the message to presiding Election Judges
that the placement of a bilingual poll worker in precincts where it is deemed necessary is not a
matter for negotiation, and bilingual poll workers need to be treated like all other election clerks;
(Note: The two major political parties are responsible for appointing the Presiding and Alternate
Judges for a General Election in the State of Texas).
4) The detachable application on the Language Assistance Brochure will request more specific
information regarding the types of materials that individuals can request;
5) The Clerk’s Office will consider suggestions from the Hispanic Advisory Committee to create
year-round educational programs and initiatives for the Language Assistance Program.;
Incorporating these ideas will make significant inroads to the enhancement of internal coordination of the
language assistance program and the administration of another successful election. In light of the increased
(and ever-increasing) Spanish-speaking population throughout Harris County, the County Clerk’s Office
fully supported the implementation of the language assistance program for limited English proficient
voters of Hispanic origin in its respective programs and activities. To support this goal, the Clerk directed
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the voter outreach coordinators to set a mission and goals for the language assistance program that would
insure a successful effort.
The language assistance program was successfully implemented for the 2004 Election by assessing the
needs, availability of resources and accurately gauging the scale of the task. Subsequently, the voter outreach
coordinator prioritized initiatives and activities addressing requirements pursuant to Section 203 of the
Federal Voting Rights Act. Gaining the respect of the citizenry of the Hispanic community was essential
to implementing a Language Assistance Program. The trust enabled the establishment of constructive
working relationships directly with the entities that assisted in reaching the target population. Other keys
to the Language Assistance Program effort included:
• The full support of the County Clerk;
• A Director of Public Affairs who has a clear understanding of the mission and has the autonomy
and budget to lead his staff;
• A voter outreach coordinator with specific knowledge of how to help first-generation U.S. Citizens
assimilate into all aspects of the American political process;
• A motivated staff that was willing to reach out, create relationships and conduct activities, in
conjunction with all segments of the Hispanic community, including grass-roots and professional
non-profit organizations, corporations and political entities;
• A great working relationship with Spanish language television, radio and newspapers, because the
Language Assistance Program is targeted at their audience;
• A focused Advisory Committee membership that understands the significant and substantial role it
plays in successfully implementing the Language Assistance Program;
The Harris County Clerk’s Office was resolute in its effort to implement the Language Assistance Program;
thus, the goal to provide the information, materials and assistance needed to facilitate access to the electoral
process for limited English proficient voters of Hispanic origin was achieved successfully.
For more information on the Vietnamese language assistance program contact:
Hector de Leon
Voter Outreach Coordinator
Harris County Clerk
1001 Preston, 4th Floor
Houston, TX 77002
hdeleon@cco.hctx.net
27
part V:
RATING OVERALL
SUCCESS:
BILINGUAL POLL WORKER
EVALUATION
28
RATING SUCCESS
BILINGUAL POLL WORKER EVALUATION
Poll Worker Placement and Attendance on Election Day
Using the predetermined criteria of a precinct with 50 or more registered voters with Hispanic or
Vietnamese surnames, there were six hundred-fifty-two (652) and one hundred-forty-four (144) precincts
requiring bilingual poll workers on Election Day for the two groups, respectively. For the Spanish poll
worker precincts, two hundred-ninety (290) were filled by Precinct Judges, leaving three hundred-sixtytwo (362) to be filled by the Hispanic Voter Outreach Coordinator. The Vietnamese Coordinator planned to
fill all required precincts. Enough applicants were obtained through the efforts of the Language Assistance
Program so that all precincts were initially assigned a qualified applicant. If the initial applicant declined
the position, the coordinator would attempt to reassign the precinct to another willing applicant. Some
assignments were made too close to Election Day for the applicant to be trained by the Clerk’s office.
These applicants were told to report to the presiding judge to receive on-site training and for the judge to
call the Clerk’s office for any questions. On Election Day there were three hundred-thirty-nine (339) and
one hundred-thirty-nine (139) Spanish and Vietnamese assignments, respectively.
As of Election Day, two hundred-twenty (220) and one hundred-two (102) Spanish and Vietnamese
poll workers reported to their precincts, respectively. Including the precincts that were filled by precinct
judges, 78% of the precincts requiring a Spanish poll worker had a translator on Election Day. For the
precincts requiring Vietnamese poll workers, 71% had translators on Election Day. While one hundred
percent placement was the goal, it was understood that it may not be reached due in part to the volunteer
nature of the job, low expected pay, and the short time between assignment and Election Day. That is
why a major component of the Language Assistance Program was dedicated to educating all voters on
the right to bring someone of their own choosing to the polls to assist them on Election Day. Due to the
successful nature of the Language Assistance Program saturating the community with voter education
materials through all forms of media, the resulting attendance of bilingual poll workers on Election Day
was considered a success.
Survey of Poll Workers
After the November 2, 2004 election a survey was sent to every poll worker that was assigned
to work on Election Day through the Clerk’s office (surveys were not sent to poll workers recruited
by precinct judges). The survey was to be used as an added measure of the success of the Language
Assistance Program, to determine certain attributes of the typical poll worker applicant, and to have an
insight into the activities of a poll worker within the polling location on Election Day. (See Appendix G
for Survey)
Introduction of Data Calculation
Four hundred-seventy-eight (478) surveys were sent to those who were assigned to work Election
Day (339 Spanish, 139 Vietnamese). As of April 28, 2005, one hundred-eighty-six (186) completed
surveys have been returned. This resulted in a return rate of 39%. Responses were compiled and simple
29
frequency statistics were calculated for the responses to each question. For question four, if a respondent
checked more than one box the response was entered as “multiple sources.” For questions six through
eight, where more than one answer could be checked, all responses were entered and added together. This
resulted in a much higher total number of responses in each answer category but is a good indicator of the
interests and actions of poll workers.
Results
Question 1: Did you work as a bilingual poll worker on Election Day?
The percentage of poll workers that worked and returned the survey out of all poll workers who
worked on Election Day and were assigned by the County Clerk’s Office is 56% (181/ 322 assigned poll
workers who worked * 100).
Question 2 & 3: How many Vietnamese voters voted at your precinct? How many required language
assistance?
Based on our review of these questions, they do not reveal an accurate description of the number
of bilingual voters who entered the polls to vote on Election Day.
analysis.
We have removed them from our
Question 4: How did you hear about the opportunity to work on Election Day?
The majority of poll workers heard about the opportunity through television ads (38%), followed
by a friend (16%), and radio commercial as the most common form of discovery. The next most common
sources were community events (9%), the website (5%) and newspaper (3%).
How did you hear about the Poll Worker Opportunity?
No Response 3%
Newspaper 3%
Multiple Sources 2%
Comment
Added 4%
Radio 0%
Website 5%
Community Event 9%
Television 38%
Friend 6%
Question 5: Would you be willing to work another election?
Nearly all respondents would be willing to work another election (95%).
30
Question 6: What was the principal reason that motivated you to be a poll worker?
The driving motivational factor to be a bilingual poll worker was to help the community followed
by learning about the election process. Earning extra income received the least number of responses.
Motivation to become a Poll Worker
Comment
No Answer
Learn Election
Process
30%
Help Community
51%
Earn Extra Income
17%
Question 7: How did you spend the majority of the day?
A majority of the respondents spent the day performing all jobs available to the average election
clerk. When all responses were added together, it revealed that a poll worker’s time was almost evenly
distributed working at all jobs.
Jobs Performed as Poll Worker
No Answer %
Translate
27%
Teach eSlate to Voters
26%
Greet Voters &
Direct Traffic
21%
Check-in Voters
25%
31
Question 8: What would you like to see change about the Language Assistance Program?
When given the option, most respondents would increase the rate of pay for the bilingual poll
worker. Twenty-one percent of respondents would prefer more training, and eighteen percent would like
to see better cooperation with the presiding judge at the polling location. The majority of comments made
about changes to the program is extremely positive and many prefer no change at all to the program.
What Changes would you like to see as a Poll Worker?
No Response 6%
Other Comment
15%
Higher Pay
40%
Better Cooperation
with Judge
18%
More Training
21%
Question 9: Rate your overall experience as an election official.
When respondents rated their overall experience as an election official, an overwhelming majority
(92.8%) responded with either a positive or very positive rating.
Rating of Experience
Neutral 4%
Negative 0%
Very Negative %
No Response 2%
Very Positive
53%
Positive
40%
32
Examination of Methodologies (Frequencies of Surnames vs. Census Data)
The success of Harris County’s Language Assistance Program is directly related to the integrity
of the methodology used to assess areas of greatest need, especially in the absence of direct feedback
from individual voters and/or election officials. Prior to the 2004 General Election, the United States
Department of Justice encouraged Texas counties to place bilingual poll workers in precincts based
on the frequencies of Hispanic surnames. This echoes the approach recommended for Vietnamese
bilingual assistance by the Department of Justice in the Memorandum of Understanding with Harris
County. Concerns over the viability of such a methodology in the State of Texas caused the Harris
County Clerk’s Office to review success rates and compare data on limited English proficiency versus
frequencies of surnames.
Hispanic Bilingual Assistance-Comparative Analysis on Limited English Proficiency
versus Surname Frequency
After conducting a comparative analysis of the frequency of registered voters with Hispanic surnames
by precinct and the U.S. Census blocks with Limited English Proficiency, the Harris County Clerk
discovered the following:
In 2002 in Harris County there were 682 out of 884 precincts that had 50 or more registered
voters with Hispanic surnames. Of those 682 precincts, 544 had a Bilingual poll worker on Election Day
during the 2004 General Election. That is a 79% success rate when using Hispanic surname data. It was
also determined that if the Harris County Clerk’s office only counts the precincts that were identified by
the 2000 U.S. Census as having blocks with a Limited English Proficiency (LEP) population of 5% or
more, the placement rate of bilingual poll workers rises to 81.4%, or 380 out of 471. The 5% threshold
is generally recognized as a significant population threshold for jurisdictions as a whole and also voting
precincts covered under the minority language provisions of the Voting Rights Act.
The following is a breakdown of bilingual poll worker placement rates in precincts that were identified as having 50
or more registered voters with Hispanic surnames and a LEP population of 5% or more:
□ Of the 682 precincts with 50 registered voters or more with a Hispanic surnames, 119 were identified by the U.S. Census as having blocks with a LEP population of 5 to 10%. Of those 119 precincts, 77.4 % were staffed with a bilingual poll worker.
□ Of the 682 precincts with 50 registered voters or more with a Hispanic surnames, 244 were identified by the U.S. Census as having blocks with a LEP population of 10% or more. Of those 244 precincts, 80.4 % of those were staffed with a bilingual poll worker.
□ Of the 682 precincts with 50 registered voters or more with a Hispanic surnames, 108 were identified by the U.S. Census as having blocks with a LEP population of both 5 to 10% and 10% or more. Of those 108 precincts, 85.2 % percent had a bilingual poll worker.
The analysis reflected that of the 682 out of the 884 precincts identified as having 50 registered
voters or more with a Hispanic surnames, 211 did not have a LEP population of 5% or more . Moreover,
of the 884 precincts in Harris County, 202 had less than 50 registered voters with Hispanic surnames,
yet 139 of those 202 precincts were identified as having a LEP population of 5% or more. This analysis
reveals that the use of surnames as a determinant for language assistance overstates the need for polling
place assistance in some areas and may neglect areas with smaller quantities of Hispanic voters (less
than 50).
The Harris County Clerk’s office discovered through this analysis that a frequency tally of
registered voters alone may not reflect the true need for language assistance in any given precinct.
Combining the frequency data associated with Hispanic surnames and the U.S. Census Limited English
Proficiency data is the only way to minimize error rates in the placement of bilingual poll workers in
areas where they are not needed. The State of Texas represents a perfect example of why the use of
surname frequencies is flawed due to the significant and historical presence of Hispanics in the state.
33
Vietnamese Bilingual Assistance-Comparative Analysis on Limited English Proficiency
versus Surname Frequency
A comparative analysis on the use of Vietnamese surnames versus Limited English Proficiency
Census data reveals that the use of surnames as the sole indicator can result in an error rate in the
placement of bilingual poll workers. A subsequent review of the targeted precincts used in the 2004
General Election that were identified using surname frequencies (144) revealed that incorporating
Limited English Proficiency Census Data raises the number of targeted precincts (179).
Unfortunately, the questionnaires used by the Census Department do not isolate for Vietnamese
when asking whether an individual can speak “English Not Very Well or at All”. This question, when
asked, only isolates the Asian population so it must be cross-referenced with a separate table that
details whether Vietnamese is spoken at home. In our analysis, the use of these two Census data sets
were used to target precincts and compare them to our findings based on Vietnamese surnames. Using
a tiered system, precincts were ranked in priority with a additional weight given to those showing a
signifciant population percentage with Limited English Proficiency. Below is our summary of the
ranking system and their classifications:
Tier 1 (Highest Priority-32 precincts identified): This category refers to precincts in which greater than 10% of the population speaks Vietnamese at home and any percentage of population possessing Limited English Proficiency. When comparing this assessment of Tier 1 precincts to our listing of qualified precincts based on the 50+ surname threshold, 7 precincts are added to the total number of targeted precincts.
Tier 2 (Medium Priority-48 precincts identified): This category refers to precincts in which 5-10% of the population speaks Vietnamese at home and any percentage of population population possessing Limited English Proficiency. When comparing this assessment of Tier 2 precincts to our listing of qualified precincts based on the 50+ surname threshold, 12 precincts were added to the total number of targeted precincts.
Tier 3 (Lowest Priority-99 precincts identified): This category refers to precincts in which less than 5% of the population speaks Vietnamese at home and less than 5% of the population possessing Limited English Proficiency. When comparing this assessment of Tier 3 precincts to our listing of qualified precincts based on the 50+ surname threshold, all 99 precincts covered in this tier were targeted as they consisted of enough Vietnamese surnames to qualify. The Tier 3 analysis reveals the greatest evidence that the strength of limited English proficient voters is overstated when using surnames as the sole indicator.
In all, the analysis reveals an increase in the number of targeted precincts from 161 (surname) to 180
(surname plus Census data), or an increase of 11%. This indicates that the use of surnames overstates
areas in need of bilingual assistance by 11%. When using Vietnamese surnames solely as a determinant
for placement of bilingual poll workers, 19 potential precincts that have expressed a need for bilingual
assistance through the Census would be neglected. As the Vietnamese community continues to develop
and future generations are born, the ability to target precincts appropriately will continue to diminish
unless Limited English Proficiency is a vital part of the targeting process.
34
part VI:
APPENDICES
35
36
Jeff
Jamie
Marty
Debbie
Anthony
Roy
Alan
David
Mr.
Ms.
Ms.
Ms.
Mr.
Mr.
Mr.
Mr.
Ho
Pham
Vu
Nguyen
Chen
Morrison
Duong
Watkins
Luu
Nguyen
Vielman
Le
Kim
Tran
Tran
Nguyen
Nguyen
Berendt
Email Distribution List Members
Mr.
Ngai Van
Nguyen
Ms.
Lillie
Lopez
Mr.
John P.
Hernandez
Mr.
Barry
Warner
Ms.
Kay
Vu
Minh
Ms.
Trong
Mr.
Huu Trac
Andrew
Mr.
Mr.
Chuong
Mr.
Jerome
Patrick
Mr.
Mr.
Binh
Mr.
Hung
Pam
Ms.
Mr.
Trang Q.
Mr.
Tran
Michael CaoMy Nguyen
Mr.
Nguyen
Cuong
Mr.
National Association of Latino Leaders
Southwest Bank of Texas
Viet-Tex News
Vietnam Daily News
Rice Vietnamese Student Association
Rice Vietnamese Student Association
Vietnamese Studies Organization
Organization of Chinese Americans
Organization of Chinese Americans
Harris County Tax Office - Voter Registrar
Harris County Tax Office - Voter Registrar
YMCA International Services
Alliance for Multicultural Community Services
Alliance for Democracy in Vietnam
Vietnamese Culture & Science Association
Ngay Nay Newspaper
VietPac USA
Boat Peaple S.O.S. Inc.
Vietnamese Community of Houston & Vicinity
Vietnamese Community of Houston & Vicinity
League of Women Voters
Asian American Legal Center
VN TeamWork
Ngay Nay Newspaper
Please initial next to name and make corrections underneath.
INITIALS Title FIRST NAME LAST NAME
ORGANZATION/AFFILIATION
Ms.
Kim
Nguyen
ADDRESS
P.O. Box 721672
P.O. Box 262142
P.O. Box 27459
2646 South Loop West, Suite 375
8060 Boone Rd.
6320 Main St.
2400 Westheimer Rd., Apt. 303C
1001 Preston, Suite 200
1001 Preston, Suite 200
6300 Westpark Dr, Suite 600
6440 Hillcroft Ave, Suite 411
551 Edloe St., Apt. # 9201
6220 Westpark, Suite 245B
11554 Bellaire Blvd.
4500 Montrose
P.O. Box 441417
11205 Bellaire Blvd., Suite B22
7912 Swiftwater Ln.
1322 Spillers Ln.
13374 Trail Hollow Dr.
440 Louisiana, Suite 590
11210 Bellaire, Suite 118
6510 Turrett Point Ln.
9218 Baber Dr.
HARRIS COUNTY CLERK
VIETNAMESE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Houston, TX
Houston, TX
Houston, TX
Houston, TX
Houston, TX
Houston, TX
Houston, TX
Houston, TX
Houston, TX
Houston, TX
Houston, TX
Houston, TX
Houston, TX
Houston, TX
Houston, TX
Houston, TX
Houston, TX
Houston, TX
Houston, TX
Houston, TX
Houston, TX
Houston, TX
Houston, TX
Houston, TX
Houston, TX
77272
77207
77227
77054
77072
281.561.5459
832.443.7477
713.232.2105
713.256.1069
281.933.9283
214.437.1758
77005 832.563.6197
77098 713.320.4875
914.382.5012
713.446.8430
77002 713.368.2323
77002 713.368.2280
77057 713.339.9015 ext.3
77081 713.776.4700 ext.1
77005 713.661.3808
77074 713.784.1112
77072 281.933.8118
77006 713.526.5352
77244 832.868.4848
77072 281.530.6888
77075 832.754.4821
77043 832.860.8867
77079 713.647.8301
77002 713.223.8855
77072 281.827.8019
77064 281.807.1643
CITY, STATE ZIP
PHONE
Houston, TX 77095 281.236.5127
Appendix A-Vietnamese Advisory Committee
Blanco
Bernal
Moreno
Cadena
Reyes
Farias
Verastegui
Pena
Parra
Velez
Fiorenza
Garcia
Acosta
de la Isla
Hernandez
Reyes
Lopez
Heredia
Olivares-Hernandez
Marini
Arevalo
Ordonez
Sanchez
Elizondo
Hernandez
Correa
Medina
Konigsberg
Martinez
Vela
Fraga
Cavazos
Diaz
Rivera
Castillo
Rose Ann
Erica
Gilbert
Adriana
Nelson
Richard
Adalid
Margie
Javier
Omar
Joseph A.
Sylvia R.
Hipolito
Jaime
Lisa
Janie
Lillie
Renzo
Grace
Marcello
Pedro
Olga
Abel
Juanita
John P.
Iris
David D.
Leticia
Mike
Lee
Felix
Helen
Tony
Nick
Debra
37
Director of Minority Community Affairs
Media Specialist/Office of External Affairs
Senior Community Relations Representative
Director of Public Affairs
Vice President of Exteranl Affairs
President
Founder
Senior Community Officer
President
Director
Civic Education Director
President and CEO
Community and Political Organizer
Director
President/CEO
President
Area Manager
Parent and Community Involvement Manager
Director
Bishop
Commissioner, Precinct 2
Director
Assistant Superintendent
Communications Manager
Chair
Member
Director of Public Affairs
Director of Public Affairs
Director of Programming and Community Affairs
New Director
Publisher & Editor
President
Corporate Relations
Senior Vice President
President/CEO
Rice University, Office of Public Affairs-MS 95
University of Houston
HPD-Public Affairs
Clear Channel Outdoors
Neighborhood Centers Inc.
Hispanic Women in Leadership
Nuestra Palabra
Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration
Houston Community College SE Campus
LULAC ESC
NALEO Educational Fund
AAMA INC
Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
GANO CARECEN
Tejano Center for Community Concerns
Hispanic Ministers
Neighborhood Centers Inc.
Project Grad
Puerta del Sur
The Diocese of Galveston-Houston
Harris County
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service
Houston ISD
Tax-Assessor Collector
Tejano Democrats
Republican National Hispanic Assembly
Univision Radio
Univision 45/Telefutura 67
Telemundo 47
El Dia
La Voz d Houston
Camara de Empresarios Latinos de Houston
Fiesta Mart Inc.
Southwest Bank of Texas
Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
P.O. Box 1892
304 McElhinney Hall
1200 Travis, Suite 2101
1313 West Loop North
P.O. Box 271389
14027 Memorial, #187
3201 Allen Parkway, Suite 150
One Riverway, Ste 1700
6815 Rustic
2220 Broadway
1122 W. Washington Blvd, 3rd Floor
6001 Gulf Freeway, B-1
1302 Munger
6006 Bellaire, Suite 100
2950 Broadway
4325 Wendell
4410 Navigation
6700 W. Loop, Suite 500
6006 Bellaire, Ste. 208
1700 San Jacinto
1001 Preston, Suite 950
126 Northpoint
3830 Richmond Avenue
1001 Preston, 1st Floor
3715 North Main St.
P.O. Box 262142
1415 N. Loop West, Suite 550
9440 Kirby Dr.
3903 Stoney Brook Dr.
6120 Tarnef, Suite 100
6101 Southwest Frwy, Suite 127
6420 Hillcroft, Suite 305
5235 Katy Frwy
P.O. Box 27459
2900 Woodridge, Suite 312
Houston
Houston
Houston
Houston
Houston
Houston
Houston
Houston
Houston
Houston
Los Angeles
Houston
Houston
Houston
Houston
Bellaire
Houston
Bellaire
Houston
Houston
Houston
Houston
Houston
Houston
Houston
Houston
Houston
Houston
Houston
Houston
Houston
Houston
Houston
Houston
Houston
TX
TX
TX
TX
TX
TX
TX
TX
TX
TX
CA
TX
TX
TX
TX
TX
TX
TX
TX
TX
TX
TX
Tx
TX
TX
TX
TX
TX
TX
TX
TX
TX
TX
TX
TX
77251-1892
77204-5017
77002
77055
77277-1389
77079-6895
77019
77056
77087
77012
90015
77023
77023
77081
77017
77401
77011
77401
77081
77001-0907
77002
77060
77027-5838
77002
77009
77207
77008
77054
77063
77074
77057
77081
77007
77227-7459
77087-2506
Appendix B-Hispanic Advisory Committee Members
Appendix C-Samples of Newspaper Articles and Advertising
5
VIET-TEXNEWS.COM • VOL 1 NO 30 • 02 THAÙNG 9 - 08 THAÙNG 9, 2004 • SEPTEMBER 02 - SEPTEMBER 08, 2004
TIN HOUSTON
Caàn tuyeån nhaân vieân
Ngöôøi vieát: Beverly Kaufman
Chöông Trình Hoå Trôï Veà Ngoân Ngöõ Cho Cöû Tri Ngöôøi
Vieät Khoâng Raønh Tieáng Anh
T
höù Hai ngaøy 3 thaùng 5
naêm 2004 vöøa qua ñaùnh
daáu moät kyû nguyeân môùi
cho haït Harris. Chính trong ngaøy
naøy, vaên phoøng thö kyù haït Harris
ñaõ ban haønh Chöông trình Hoå Trôï
veà Ngoân ngöõ cho cöû tri ngöôøi Vieät
voán gaëp nhöõng haïn cheá veà tieáng
Anh.
Tröôùc ñoù vaøo ngaøy 26 thaùng 7
naêm 2002, Boä Tö Phaùp Hoa Kyø ñaõ
thoâng baùo vôùi haït Harris veà nhöõng
ñoøi hoûi môùi veà ngoân ngöõ cho coäng
ñoäng ngöôøi Vieät trong haït. Nhöõng
ñoøi hoûi naøy coù hieäu löïc keå töø ngaøy
26 thaùng 7 qua xuùc tieán vaø quyeát
ñònh cuûa Cuïc Ñieàu Tra Daân soá
Hoa Kyø bôûi thoáng keâ cho thaáy
coù treân möôøi ngaøn ngöôøi daân goác
Vieät trong haït khoâng thoâng thaïo
tieáng Anh.
Sau khi caân nhaéc thaän troïng, toâi
quyeát ñònh thöïc hieän moät chöông
trình tieáp caän ñeán caùc cöû tri ngöôøi
Vieät. Hôn theá, song song vôùi
chöông trình naøy, toâi cuõng mong
muoán thöïc hieän nhöõng giaûi phaùp
töông lai nhaèm ñaûm baûo raèng döôùi
söï giaùm saùt cuûa toâi, haït Harris seõ
tieáp tuïc ñaûm baûo thöïc hieän moïi
qui ñònh trong Muïc 203 trong Boä
luaät Baàu cöû cuûa Hoa Kyø.
Muïc 203 ñoøi hoûi haït Harris vaø
taát caû nhöõng khu vöïc chính quyeàn
tröïc thuoäc phaûi cung caáp nhöõng
Este 2 de noviembre 2004
thoâng baùo veà baàu cöû, caùc ñôn ghi
danh baàu cöû, nhöõng chæ daãn, hoå
trôï, vaø caùc taøi lieäu vaø thoâng tin ghi
danh baàu cöû, bao goàm phieáu baàu
baèng tieáng Vieät cuõng nhö tieáng
Anh vaø Meã.
Nhaèm thöïc hieän nhöõng qui ñònh
cuûa ñieàu muïc naøy, qua Chöông
Trình hoå trôï veà Ngoân Ngöõ, Vaên
phoøng thö kyù Haït mong moõi seõ keát
hôïp vôùi nhöõng noå löïc voán ñaõ baét
ñaàu töø naêm 2002, ñoàng thôøi taêng
cöôøng caùc chöông trình tieáp caän cöû
tri, nhaèm ñaït ñöôïc caùc nhöõng muïc
tieâu sau ñaây cho caùc cuoäc baàu cöû
saép tôùi vaø trong töông lai:
•
Thoâng baùo cho caùc cöû
tri ngöôøi Vieät voán gaëp nhöõng haïn
cheá veà tieáng Anh veà nhöõng ngaøy
quan troïng lieân quan ñeán baàu cöû.
•
Phoái hoïp vôùi caùc caù nhaân,
toå chöùc giaùo duïc, nhaø thôø, vaø caùc
toå chöùc phi lôïi nhuaän nhaèm thöïc
hieän nhöõng minh hoïa thöïc taäp veà
heä thoáng baàu cöû ñieän toaùn môùi.
•
Giaùo duïc cöû tri ngöôøi
Vieät veà quyeàn trong baàu cöû, bao
goàm quyeàn daãn theo ngöôøi thaân
hay ngöôøi quen nhaèm giuùp ñôõ
trong vieäc thoâng dòch tröôùc khi
quyeát ñònh boû phieáu baàu, mieãn laø
ngöôøi theo cuøng cöû tri khoâng phaûi
laø ngöôøi chuû nôi laøm vieäc cuûa cöû
tri, hay ñaïi dieän cuûa hoäi ñoaøn lao
ñoäng, hay öùng cöû vieân.
•
Nhaéc nhôû vôùi cöû tri raèng
nhöõng thoâng tin baàu cöû vaø caùc taøi
lieäu lieân quan ñöôïc in aán baèng
tieáng Vieät, tieáng Anh vaø tieáng
Meã.
•
Tuyeån duïng vaø ñaøo taïo
caùc cöû tri noùi ñöôïc 2 thöù tieáng AnhVieät trong ngaøy Baàu cöû laøm trôï taù
trong coâng taùc hoå trôï veà ngoân ngöõ
taïi caùc khu vöïc baàu cöû nôi maø dòch
vuï thoâng dòch ñöôïc caàn ñeán.
Laø Tröôûng Phoøng baàu cöû cuûa
haït Harris, toâi chòu traùch nhieäm
trong vieäc hoaøn thaønh muïc tieâu
cuûa Chöông trình Hoå trôï veà Ngoân
ngöõ. Chính vì theá, toâi keâu goïi caùc
coâng daân Myõ, ñaëc bieät laø nhöõng
ngöôøi vöøa ñöôïc vaøo quoác tòch Myõ,
vaø nhöõng coâng daân sinh tröôûng
taïi Myõ cuøng hôïp taùc vôùi toâi thöïc
thi nhöõng noå löïc mang tính lòch
söû naøy. Cuøng nhau, chuùng ta taïo
ñieàu kieän deå daøng hôn cho cöû tri
ngöôøi Vieät trong coâng taùc baàu cöû,
taùch baïch söï kieän vaø hö caáu, laøm
saùng toû quaù trình baàu cöû, vaø loaïi
tröø baát kyø moät haïn cheá naøo trong
quaù trình baàu cöû.
Ñeå bieát theâm chi tieát veà tham
gia hoå trôï cho chöông trình, xin
goïi 713.755.6519 hoaëc lieân laïc
qua ñòa chæ email: ttrinh@cco.
hctx.net.
County and all its political subdivisions within Harris County,
to provide all election notices,
forms, instructions, assistance and
other registration materials and
information, including ballots, in
Vietnamese as well as in English
and Spanish.
Consequently,
via
the
Language Assistance Program,
the County Clerk’s Office wants
to build upon the efforts it began
in 2002 and enhance its voter outreach effort by achieving the following objectives during the upcoming and all future elections:
• Notify limited English proficient Vietnamese voters about important election related dates;
• Work with individuals, educational institutions, churches and
non-profit organizations to provide hands on demonstrations of
the new electronic voting system;
• Educate Vietnamese voters
on their rights, including the right
to bring someone of their own
choosing to provide language assistance at the polls; provided the
person is not the voter’s employer,
labor union representative or can-
didate;
• Remind voters that elections
information and materials are
available in Vietnamese, as well
as English and Spanish.
• Recruit and train bilingual
voters to work on Election Day as
clerks who will provide language
assistance at precincts where the
service may be needed.
As chief election officer of
Harris County, I am fully committed to achieving the goals of the
Language Assistance Program.
For that reason, I urge all citizens, especially newly naturalized American citizens and their
U.S. born adult family members,
to join me in this historic effort.
Together, we can work to better
Vietnamese’s access to voting by
separating fact from fiction, demystifying the voting process,
and removing perceptions that the
electoral process is in anyway intimidating.
For more information on how
you can get involved please call
713.755.6519 or email ttrinh@cco.
hctx.net
Votar es Mas Facil que Nunca!
• Todas las balotas estarán en Español;
• Todos los materiales de la elección estarán en Español;
• Los votantes registrados que hablan Español podrán votar en
Español directamente en el sistema de votar electronico;
• Se permite traer a una persona para ayudarle a
traducir, mientras
el/ella no sea su patrón o trabajador del sindicato;
Asegure que las Ruedas del la Democracia sigan dando Vueltas
4 de octubre: Fecha limite para inscribirse para votar;
18-29 de octubre: Periodo de votación temprano
2 de noviembre: Día De Elección
A Language Assistance Program For Limited English
Si usted quisiera ayudar el día de elección, con paga, por favor complete la sección abajo y envíela
a:Proficient Vietnamese Voters
Beverly B. Kaufman, Secretaria del Condado Harris, P.O. Box 1525, Houston, TX 77251-1525 o fax a
713.755.4983.
M
onday, May 3, 2004 signaled a new era for Harris
County. On that day
the Harris County Clerk’s Office
launched a Language Assistance
Program for Vietnamese voters
with limited English proficiency.
On July 26, 2002, Harris
County was notified by the United
States Department of Justice of
new language requirements for its
Vietnamese community. This requirement became effective upon
July 26th and was triggered based
on the determination made by the
United States Census Bureau that
more than 10,000 of a single minority group (Vietnamese) possessed limited English proficiency.
After careful deliberation, I
decided to dedicate an outreach
effort for Vietnamese voters.
Also, in establishing this program,
I wanted to make sure that proactive measures are implemented to
insure that under my watch, Harris
County continues to satisfy all aspects of section 203 of the United
Sates Voting Rights Act.
Section 203 requires Harris
Apellido: ___________________________ Primer Nombre: _________________________
Fecha de Nacimiento: ____/____/_____
Dirección(donde esta inscrito(a) para votar):_________________________________________
Ciudad: ___________________ Estado: __________________ Código Postal: _________
Telefono: (_ _ _) _ _ _ -_ _ _ _
Dirección de Correo (si es diferente de la arriba):
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Dirección de Correo Electronico: _________________________________________________
¿Esta inscrito para votar? __Si __No (Necesita estar registrado para votar para trabajar como
administrador en las urnas)
¿Esta dispuesto a viajar al lugar de votación? __Si __No
¿Que lejos esta dispuesto a viajar?_____________ millas
¿Hablas Español? __Si __No (Personas necesitan hablar ingles y Español)
Arlette Molina Aims To Represent
Firma: ___________________________________ Fecha: ____/____/_____
By Burt Levine
A
BOÛ PHIEÁU SÔÙM
THÖÙ HAI 18 THAÙNG MÖÔØI, 2004
-TÔÙI-
THÖÙ SAÙU 29 THAÙNG MÖÔØI, 2004
18 THAÙNG MÖÔØI, 2004
19 THAÙNG MÖÔØI, 2004
20 THAÙNG MÖÔØI, 2004
21 THAÙNG MÖÔØI, 2004
22 THAÙNG MÖÔØI, 2004
23 THAÙNG MÖÔØI, 2004
8 GIÔØ SAÙNG TÔÙI 4 GIÔØ 30 CHIEÀU
8 GIÔØ SAÙNG TÔÙI 4 GIÔØ 30 CHIEÀU
8 GIÔØ SAÙNG TÔÙI 4 GIÔØ 30 CHIEÀU
8 GIÔØ SAÙNG TÔÙI 4 GIÔØ 30 CHIEÀU
8 GIÔØ SAÙNG TÔÙI 4 GIÔØ 30 CHIEÀU
7 GIÔØ SAÙNG TÔÙI 7 GIÔØ TOÁI
Acres Homes: Acres Homes Multi-Service Center
(SRD 139)
6719 W. Montgomery Road, 2nd Floor
Bear Creek:
Bear Creek Park Community Center
(SRD 138)
Bear Creek Drive @ Patterson Road
Cypress Creek
Barbara Bush Library
(SRD 126)
6817 Cypresswood, Spring
Far West / Katy:
Harris County M.U.D. No. 81
(SRD 132) 805 Hidden Canyon @ Cimmaron, Katy
Jersey Village:
Epiphany Lutheran Church
(SRD 135)
8101 Senate
Spring Branch: Harris County Courthouse Annex #35
(SRD 136)
1721 Pech Road, 2nd Floor
Tomball:
Tomball Public Works Building
(SRD 130)
501 B James, Tomball
Houston:
Ponderosa Fire Station No. 1
(SRD 150)
17061 Rolling Creek Drive, Houston
24 THAÙNG MÖÔØI, 2004
25 THAÙNG MÖÔØI, 2004
26 THAÙNG MÖÔØI, 2004
27 THAÙNG MÖÔØI, 2004
28 THAÙNG MÖÔØI, 2004
29 THAÙNG MÖÔØI, 2004
1 GIÔØ CHIEÀU TÔÙI 6 GIÔØ CHIEÀU
7 GIÔØ SAÙNG TÔÙI 7 GIÔØ TOÁI
7 GIÔØ SAÙNG TÔÙI 7 GIÔØ TOÁI
7 GIÔØ SAÙNG TÔÙI 7 GIÔØ TOÁI
7 GIÔØ SAÙNG TÔÙI 7 GIÔØ TOÁI
7 GIÔØ SAÙNG TÔÙI 7 GIÔØ TOÁI
KHU VÖÏC ÑOÂNG BAÉC
Humble:
Octavia Fields Branch Library
(SRD 141-H) 1503 South Houston Avenue, Humble
Kashmere:
Kashmere Multi-Service Center
(SRD 142)
4802 Lockwood
Kingwood:
Fire Station 102
(SRD 127) 4102 Lake Houston Parkway, Kingwood
Moody Park:
Moody Park Recreation Center
(SRD 148)
3725 Fulton
Khu vöïc Phía Baéc:
Hardy Senior Center
(SRD 140)
11901 West Hardy Road
Ñoâng baéc Houston:
BeBe Tabernacle
(SRD 141-C)
Methodist Church
7210 Langley
Wallisville:
North Channel Library
(SRD 142-W)
15741 Wallisville Road
GIÔØ MÔÛ
CÖÛA ÑEÅ
BOÛ PHIEÁU
SÔÙM
General Manager
(713) 289-1230
for our families, our businesses
and our future. I’m committed to
being that voice. I represent the
third generation of my family to
be from southwest Houston. I was
born here and have lived all my
life in this high energy, highly diverse, growing place that is full of
such incredible potential,” Molina
said.
Molina learned her love
of America from her maternal
grandparents that immigrated
from Mexico in the ‘30s and her
father from Mexico City. She
learned the value of service to
flag and country from her grandfather who served with the US
Merchant Marines in World War
II and her father who fought with
the US Army in Korea. Her commitment to Catholic family values
was forged from her mother. “I attended Windsor Village elementary, Rodgers Middle and Lee High.
I was inspired by a high school
teacher and decided as a minority female determined to succeed I
needed to take schooling as far as
possible,” said Molina who earned
her Rice economics/business BA
making the president’s honor roll
and then a Uof H JD.
“My practice has been commercial, real estate and appellate
law where my expertise has been
guiding minority and emerging
firms to fruition,” she said. Molina
has been active as Hispanic
Women in Leadership President,
YMCA volunteer head coach,
March of Dimes, Alley Theater
and Mexican American Bar
Association Board Member, with
United Way, Houston Symphony,
her home owners association
and church but most important
to her is her daughter Amanda
and the future for all Houston’s
children.“I’ve talked with and visited families in our district who
struggle daily to overcome unemployment, keep their families
healthy in spite of unaffordable
health care cost, and overcome
the distractions that rob our children of their futures. We must take
aggressive measures to ensure our
children are given all opportunity
to achieve the American Dream.
The more we make, the more the
government takes. Even when we
earn fair wages, our take-home is
often inadequate. I will work to
reduce our tax burden,” she said.
Healthcare is a top issue for
Molina. “All Americans should
be able to afford and select the
doctors, hospitals, and medicines
needed to keep their families
CAÙC ÑÒA ÑIEÅM
BOÛ PHIEÁU SÔÙM
VAÊN PHOØNG CHÍNH: 1310
PRAIRIE, 16TH FLOOR
CAÙC ÑÒA ÑIEÅM BOÛ PHIEÁU COÙ THEÅ THAY ÑOÅI
NGAØY BAÀU CÖÛ
BÌNH THÖÔØNG:
THÖÙ BA
2 THAÙNG MÖÔØI
MOÄT, 2004
DOMINGO
24 DE OCTUBRE DE 2004
1:00 PM A 6:00 PM
LUNES
25 DE OCTUBRE DE 2004
7:00 AM A 7:00 PM
8:00 AM A 4:30 PM
MARTES
26 DE OCTUBRE DE 2004
7:00 AM A 7:00 PM
JUEVES
21 DE OCTUBRE DE 2004
8:00 AM A 4:30 PM
MIÉRCOLES 27 DE OCTUBRE DE 2004
7:00 AM A 7:00 PM
VIERNES
22 DE OCTUBRE DE 2004
8:00 AM A 4:30 PM
JUEVES
28 DE OCTUBRE DE 2004
7:00 AM A 7:00 PM
SABADO
23 DE OCTUBRE DE 2004
7:00 AM A 7:00 PM
VIERNES
29 DE OCTUBRE DE 2004
7:00 AM A 7:00 PM
Acres Homes Multi-Service Center
6719 W. Montgomery Road, 2nd Floor
Bear Creek:
(SRD 138)
Cypress Creek:
(SRD 126)
Far West/Katy:
(SRD 132)
Tomball:
(SRD 130)
Tomball Public Works Building
501 B James, Tomball
Houston:
(SRD 150)
Ponderosa Fire Station No. 1
17061 Rolling Creek Drive, Houston
Astrodome Area:
(SRD 146-F)
Baytown:
(SRD 128-B)
Near West Side:
(SRD 137-T)
West Houston:
(SRD 137-V)
Hobby Area:
(SRD 144)
South Houston Area:
(SRD 131)
H.C.C.S. Southeast College
2524 Garland @ Rustic
Sunnyside:
(SRD 146-S)
Sunnyside Multi-Service Center
4605 Wilmington
Southwest Houston:
(SRD 137-B)
Far West Houston:
(SRD 133)
North:
(SRD 140)
Northeast Houston:
(SRD 141-C)
Wallisville:
(SRD-142-W)
Moody Park Recreation Center
3725 Fulton
Hardy Senior Center
11901 West Hardy Road
BeBe Tabernacle Methodist Church
7210 Langley
North Channel Library
15741 Wallisville Road
Clear Lake:
(SRD 129)
Freeman Branch Library
16616 Diana Lane, Clear Lake
Fiesta Mart, Inc.
8130 Kirby Drive
Galena Park:
(SRD 143)
Galena Park Branch Library
1500 Keene Street, Galena Park
Metropolitan Multi-Service Center
1475 West Gray
Palm Center:
(SRD 147)
Justice of the Peace/Constable Entry
5300 Griggs Road
Tracy Gee Community Center
3599 Westcenter Drive
Baytown:
(SRD 128-B)
Remington Park Assisted Living
901 West Baker Road, Baytown
Pasadena:
(SRD 128-P)
Harris County Courthouse Annex #25
7330 Spencer Highway, Pasadena
(One block East of Sam Houston Tollway - Off Richmond)
Pasadena: Harris County Courthouse Annex #25
(SRD 128-P)
7330 Spencer Highway, Pasadena
Moody Park:
(SRD 148)
Zona Sudeste
Alief Regional Branch Library
7979 South Kirkwood
Neartown:
(SRD 134)
Khu nhaø phuï trong khu hoïc xaù Eastside
Fire Station 102
4102 Lake Houston Parkway, Kingwood
Epiphany Lutheran Church
8101 Senate
Palm Center: Justice of the Peace / Constable Entry
(SRD 147)
5300 Griggs Road
Southeast Houston:
(SRD 145)
Kashmere Multi-Service Center
4802 Lockwood
Kingwood:
(SRD 127)
Harris County Courthouse Annex #35
1721 Pech Road, 2nd Floor
Galena Park Branch Library
1500 Keene Street, Galena Park
I.B.E.W. Hall, #66
4345 Allen Genoa Road
Kashmere:
(SRD 142)
Spring Branch:
(SRD 136)
Galena Park:
(SRD 143)
Octavia Fields Branch Library
1503 South Houston Avenue, Humble
Barbara Bush Library
6817 Cypresswood, Spring
Jersey Village:
(SRD 135)
Zona Suroeste
Humble:
(SRD 141-H)
Bear Creek Park Community Center
Bear Creek Drive @ Patterson Road
Harris County M.U.D. No. 81
805 Hidden Canyon @ Cimmaron, Katy
Alief:
(SRD 149)
Remington Park Assisted Living
901 West Baker Road, Baytown
Zona Nordeste
Zona Noroeste
Acres Homes:
(SRD 139)
Freeman Branch Library
16616 Diana Lane, Clear Lake
Phoøng hoïp
)VNBO3FTPVSDFT%FQBSUNFOU
Advantage BMW Downtown
8:00 AM A 4:30 PM
KHU VÖÏC ÑOÂNG NAM
West Houston:
VN TeamWork
(SRD 137-V)
11210 Bellaire, Suite 118
South Houston Area:
The Power Center
(SRD 131)
12401 South Post Oak Road
Southwest Houston:Bayland Park Community Center
(SRD 137-B)
6400 Bissonnet near Hillcroft
Far West Houston:
Courtyard by Marriott
(SRD 133) 12401 Katy Freeway @ Dairy Ashford
Apply in Person or Fax Resume
8:00 AM A 4:30 PM
Clear Lake:
(SRD 129)
(Caùch Sam Houston Tollway moät daõy phoá veâØ höôùng Ñoâng Ra khoûi ñöôøng Richmond)
"EWBOUBHF#.8%PXOUPXO BNFNCFSPGUIFQSFTUJHJPVT
"EWBOUBHF"VUPNPUJWF(SPVQJTTFFLJOHNPUJWBUFEJOEJWJEVBMT
UPKPJOUIFJS TUBGGPGTBMFTQSPGFTTJPOBMT "EWBOUBHF#.8
PGGFSTBDIBMMFOHJOH FYDJUJOHUFBNPSJFOUFEFOWJSPONFOU
BMPOHXJUIUIFGPMMPXJOHCFOFGJUT
t)FBMUI %FOUBM7JTJPO*OTVSBODF
t-JGF*OTVSBODF
t,1MBO
t1BJE5JNF0GG
t&NQMPZFF3FGFSSBM#POVTFT
19 DE OCTUBRE DE 2004
18 DE OCTUBRE DE 2004
MARTES
KHU VÖÏC TAÂY NAM
Alief Regional Branch Library
-PPLJOHGPS UIF#FTUUP+PJOUIF#FTU
MIÉRCOLES 20 DE OCTUBRE DE 2004
LUNES
Alief:
(SRD 149)
7979 South Kirkwood
Astrodome Area:
Fiesta Mart, Inc.
(SRD 146-F)
8130 Kirby Drive
Neartown:
Metropolitan Multi-Service Center
(SRD 134)
1475 West Gray
Near West Side:
Tracy Gee Community Center
(SRD 137-T)
3599 Westcenter Drive
when the legislature last year first
revealed the map that outlines
the district’s population that is approximately 17% Caucasian, 38%
black, 33% Hispanic, and 12% as
Asian American or other ethnic or
Advantage BMW Downtown
General Manager
(713) 289-1230
healthy. Nearing the third anniversary of 9/11 she sees that never before has being an American
meant so much.
“In spite of the many problems
we may face in our personal lives,
there is no doubt that America is
the greatest country in the world.
The freedom we enjoy can never
be taken for granted. A thriving
economy is a cornerstone of the
American Dream. As a member
of Congress, I will work to develop solutions to fortify our economy and energize the job market,”
Molina said.
Houston currently ranks among
the nation’s leaders for air pollution and Number One in cities
with the most children with asthma. As your Congresswoman she
plans to stay focused and out front
in the push for cleaner air and an
overall healthier environment
“I recognize through hard work
and the help of many throughout
Houston and Fort Bend I’ve been
fortunate. It’s my responsibility to
reach out across all our community so others from all races and
religions can realize their Texas
dreams too,” Molina said.
CAÙC CUOÄC TOÅNG TUYEÅN CÖÛ VAØ BAÀU CÖÛ KEÁT HÔÏP
CHUÛ NHAÄT
THÖÙ HAI
THÖÙ BA
THÖÙ TÖ
THÖÙ NAÊM
THÖÙ SAÙU
CAÙC CÖÛ TRI HOÄI ÑUÛ ÑIEÀU KIEÄN COÙ THEÅ BOÛ PHIEÁU TAÏI BAÁT KYØ MOÄT ÑÒA ÑIEÅM BOÛ PHIEÁU SÔÙM NAØO. CAÙC ÑÒA ÑIEÅM BOÛ PHIEÁU COÙ THEÅ THAY ÑOÅI.
KHU VÖÏC TAÂY BAÉC
Arlette Molina
cultural groups according to the
2000 US Census
.District 9 is much of southwestern Houston/Harris County
and parts of northwestern Fort
Bend. It’s a portion of the Medical
Center, Reliant Center, most of
southern Harris county, and a
few neighborhoods as far east
as Broadway. It’s north line extends to Westheimer, while the
southern border reaches the
Brazoria county line; Sharpstown
and West Houston/Alief/Mission
Bend and parts of Third, Hiram
Clarke, South Post Oak, Fondren
Southwest addresses fall within
its. Neighborhoods in Fort Bend
include those in east Missouri
City/Stafford and those west on
Beechnut to Harlem.
“Regardless of a person’s race,
age, ethnicity, or party affiliation,
all want and deserve a voice in
congress that shares our vision
Xin göûi Resume qua fax hoaëc ñeán ghi danh taïi
coâng ty:
Ngaøy 2 Thaùng Möôøi Moät, 2004
Vaên phoøng Beverly B. Kaufman, Thö Kyù Quaän Harris, Texas
THÖÙ HAI
THÖÙ BA
THÖÙ TÖ
THÖÙ NAÊM
THÖÙ SAÙU
THÖÙ BAÛY
ÑÍCH THAÂN TÔÙI
Vietnamese Americans
rlette Molina is running
for Congress in new CD
9 that includes Vietnamse
American areas of Sharpstown,
Alief, Mission Bend and west,
southwest and south areas to near
Hobby because she believes all
District 9 voters deserve voice.
Molina has lived all her life in her
diverse district where no ethnic
group is more than 38 percent but
women out number men, Molina
(a single mom, working minority
woman) aims to represent all its
families.
“My roots are firmly planted in west, southwest and south
Houston that represent the face of
the region’s future. I’m motivated
to make a positive difference in
the lives of hard working families,
minorities and senior citizens here
from all earth that are concerned
for their community’s future,”
said Molina who became excited
Advantage BMW Midtown, moät thaønh
vieân cuûa Advantage Automotive Group, ñang
caàn tuyeån nhaân vieân coù naêng löïc tham gia ñoäi
nguû nhaân vieân baùn haøng. Advantage BMW
luoân taïo moâi tröôøng laøm vieäc naêng ñoäng, thöû
thaùch vaø nhieàu quyeàn lôïi khaùc nhö:
v Baûo hieåm Y teá, Nha Khoa, vaø Maét
v Baûo hieåm nhaân thoï
v Chöông trình nghæ höu 401K
v Nghó leã, vacation
v Hoa hoàng giôùi thieäu nhaân vieân
VN TeamWork
11210 Bellaire, Suite 118
The Power Center
12401 South Post Oak Road
Bayland Park Community Center
6400 Bissonnet near Hillcroft
Courtyard by Marriott
12401 Katy Freeway @ Dairy Ashford
Board Room
Hobby Area:
(SRD 144)
Southeast Houston:
(SRD 145)
Sunnyside:
(SRD 146-S)
I.B.E.W. Hall, #66
4345 Allen Genoa Road
H.C.C.S. Southeast College
2524 Garland @ Rustic
Eastside Campus Annex
Sunnyside Multi-Service Center
4605 Wilmington
LUGARES PARA
VOTACIÓN
ADELANTADA
OFICINA PRINCIPAL: 1310
PRAIRIE, 16˚ PISO
LOS LUGARES ESTÁN SUJETOS A CAMBIAR
Appendix D-Distribution of Vietnamese Voters at Vietnamese Early Voting Location (Bottom)
Distribution of Vietnamese Voters
<all other values>
LOCNAME
Alief Regional Branch Library
2004vietvoterssrd149.NUMBER / <NONE>
1-5
8-15
16-30
31-60
Source: Harris County Clerk Voter History and Early Voting Statistics
61+
Pictured above is the traditional early voting location used with a compact service area. Notice the expanded service area
associated with the use of VN Teamwork (below), a Vietnamese nonprofit organization recognizable to the Vietnamese community.
Distribution of Vietnamese Voters
<all other values>
LOCNAME
VN Team Work
VTVOTE
1 - 10
11 - 25
26 - 75
76 - 125
125+
VN Teamwork
Appendix E-Language Assistance Brochure
Condado de Harris
La Oficina del Actuario
del Condado
PROGRAMA DE AYUDA
DE IDIOMA PARA LOS
VOTANTES DEL
CONDADO DE HARRIS
LA OFICINA DEL ACTUARIO DEL CONDADO DE HARRIS
www.harrisvotes.com
P.O. Box 1525
Houston, Texas 77251-1525
713-755-6965
713-368-POLL (7655)
OFICINA DE REGISTRADOR DE VOTANTE
www.hcvoter.net
P.O. Box 3527
Houston, Texas 77253-3527
713-368-VOTE (8683)
MINISTRO DE ASUNTOS EXTERIORES DE TEXAS
www.sos.state.tx.us
P.O. Box 2060
Austin, Texas 78711
Toll Free Number 1-800-252-8683
512-463-5650
PARTIDO REPUBLICANO DEL CONDADO DE HARRIS
www.harriscountygop.com
3311 Richmond, Suite 218
Houston, Texas 77098
713-838-7900
PARTIDO DEMÓCRATA DEL CONDADO DE HARRIS
www.hcdp.org
1445 North Loop West, Suite 110
Houston, TX 77008
713-802-0085
¿Sabía usted que
ahora usted puede
recibir materiales
electorales
en español?
W W W. H A R R I S V O T E S . C O M
¿Qué es el Programa de ayuda de idioma para los
votantes del Condado de Harris?
¿Y si yo todavía necesitara ayuda para votar en el día
de las elecciones?
La sección 203 del Acta de derechos electorales de 1975 fue
aprobada para incluir idiomas como una minoría cubierta conforme
al Acta de derechos electorales. Se decretan las nuevas exigencias
de idioma en las jurisdicciones donde hay más de 10,000 individuos de un grupo de minoría de un solo idioma que hablan inglés
en forma limitada o si un grupo específico constituye al menos el
5 por ciento de la población total en una jurisdicción. Desde 1975
se requiere que el Estado de Texas proporcione materiales en
español y desde julio de 2002 en vietnamita.
Según la disponibilidad, el Actuario del Condado de Harris
colocará a un escrutiñador bilingüe en su centro electoral si ha
sido determinado que su centro necesita la ayuda de idioma. Para
su propia comodidad, la ley estatal y federal también le permite
traer a alguien que usted quiera para que le ayude a traducir
siempre que esta persona no sea su patrón, un candidato, o
un representante de un sindicato laboral.
Como una reflexión de la diversidad del Condado de Harris y del
área de Houston, el Programa de ayuda de idioma para los votantes
del Condado de Harris fue creado para prestar ayuda en español o
el vietnamita a los votantes del Condado de Harris que lo necesiten.
Primero, usted debe ser mayor de los 18 años de edad para el día
de elecciones y ser Ciudadano de los Estados Unidos. Segundo,
usted debe registrarse al menos 30 días antes de una elección para
poder estar inscrito a tiempo para aquella elección. Tercero, usted
tendrá que completar una solicitud de inscripción de votante que
se puede obtener sobre el sitio Web de Registrador de Votante del
Condado de Harris en www.hcvoter.com o por teléfono llamando
al 713-368-2000. También se pueden obtener las solicitudes en
cualquier biblioteca o local de oficina de gobierno.
¿Qué tipo de materiales puedo solicitar por
este programa?
Al devolver la tarjeta completada, usaremos esta información para
identificar su centro electoral como uno que requiere ayuda de
idioma. Al grado posible, trataremos colocar escrutiñadores bilingües
en su centro electoral. Una vez que usted devuelva la tarjeta a nuestra
oficina, nos aseguraremos que si usted solicita una papeleta por
correo, entonces usted recibirá los materiales apropiados traducidos.
¿Dónde puedo solicitar materiales electorales
en mi idioma?
Usted puede solicitar materiales electorales por teléfono al
713-755-6965 o 713-368-POLL (7655) o al completar la tarjeta
adjunta a este folleto y enviándolo por correo. Usted puede también
encontrar algunos materiales de instrucción sobre nuestro sitio Web,
www.harrisvotes.com, que tiene una parte en español y en vietnamita.
¿Por qué debería yo completar este formulario?
Su información será importante en ayudarnos determinar el tipo de
ayuda que se necesita y dónde se necesita. Su colaboración también
nos ayudará a dirigirnos en trabajar con la comunidad de habla
español de modo que podamos cumplir con las necesidades de
votantes de habla español.
Condado de Harris
La Oficina del Actuario
del Condado
Si le gustaran recibir materiales de elección impresos
en español, por favor separe el formulario y escriba
su nombre en letra de moldo como aparece sobre
su formulario de registro de votante y envíelo por
correo a la Oficina del Actuario del Condado de
Harris como indicado.
¿Cómo me registro para hacerme un votante?
¿Hay alguna forma que yo pueda ayudar a mi propia
comunidad?
Sí, usted puede ayudar en el día de elecciones trabajando como un
escrutiñador. Necesitamos a personas que hablen corridamente el
inglés tanto como el español para ayudar a los votantes en cada
recinto que requiere ayuda. Usted puede hacer una copia impresa
de la solicitud en línea en www.harrisvotes.com o solicitar una
llamando al 713-755-6738.
Aquí hay más información que le
podría servir.
Cada centro electoral tendrá información, instrucciones, y avisos de eSlate
en español para ayudar guiarle
por el proceso de votación.
Además, usted encontrará
información en español
sobre nuestro sitio Web en
www.harrisvotes.com.
40
(En letra de molde por favor)
____________________________________________________
Apellido
Primer nombre
Inicial del segundo nombre
____________________________________________________
Dirección
____________________________________________________
Ciudad
Estado
____________________________________________________
Código postal
X
____________________________________________________
Firma
❑ Marque aquí si le gustara más información
sobre cómo ser un escrutiñador.
Appendix F-Poll Worker Application
Harris County
Clerk’s Office
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
LANGUAGE ASSISTANCE
PROGRAM
POLL WORKER
INFORMATION AND
APPLICATION
Alliance for Democracy in Vietnam
Alliance for Multicultural Community Services
Association for the Advancement of Mexican Americans
Boat People S.O.S. Inc.
Camara de Empresarios Latinos de Houston
Clear Channel Outdoor
El Dia
Fiesta Mart Inc.
GANO Central American Refugee Center
Harris County Commissioner, Precinct 2
Harris County Tax Collector/ Voter Registrar
Hispanic Ministers Against Crime
Hispanic Women in Leadership
Houston Community College – Southeast Campus
Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
League of Women Voters
LULAC National Educational Service Center
NALEO Educational Fund
National Association of Latina Leaders
Neighborhood Centers Inc., Ripley House
Ngay Nay Newspaper
Nuestra Palabra
Organization of Chinese Americans - Greater Houston Chapter
Pasadena Hispanic Business Association
Project GRAD Houston
Puerta del Sur
Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration
Republican National Hispanic Assembly
Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
Southwest Bank of Texas
Tejano Center for Community Concerns
Tejano Democrats
Telemundo 47
Univision 45/Telefutura 67
Univision Radio
Vietnamese Community of Houston & Vicinity
VietPac USA
VN TeamWork
YMCA International Services
The Wheels
of
Democracy
are
Turning
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Appendix G-Post-Election Poll worker Survey
OFFICE OF HARRIS COUNTY CLERK, BEVERLY B. KAUFMAN
Survey
. Did you work as a bilingual poll worker on Election Day?
No, please stop here and return the survey.
Yes, I worked in Precinct # ________
2. How many Vietnamese voters voted at your precinct?
0-25
26-50
5-00
Over 00 people
3. How many required language assistance?
0-5
6-30
3-49
50 or more people
4. How did you hear about the opportunity to work on Election Day?
Newspaper
Radio
Television
Friend
Community Event
Website ______________
5. Would you be willing to work another election?
Yes
No
If no, please tell us why: _________________________________
6. What was the principal reason that motivated you to be a poll worker?
To help my community
Extra income
To learn about the Election process
7. How did you spend the majority of the day?
Greeting voters and directing traffic
Checking voters in at the registration table
Showing voters how to use the eSlate
Translating
All of the above
8. What would you like to see change about the Language Assistance Program? Check all that apply.
Higher rate of pay
More training
More cooperation with the Election Judge
Other ___________________________________________________________
9. Rate your overall experience as an election official.
Very Positive
Positive
Neutral
Negative
Very Negative
00 Preston, 4th Floor x Houston, TX 77002 x www.harrisvotes.com
42
Appendix H-Maps of Hispanic (top) and Vietnamese (bottom) populations (U.S. Census)
0
0690
0
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0
0
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0
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0
0
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0
0
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0
0
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0
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0851
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6
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0
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6
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8
0
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0
0
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0
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0
7
0
0
0
0
0
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0
0
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0
0486
19
06680
18
0
5
0
0805
6
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0484
0
11
0614
29
22
0
17
0616
59
0651
8
13
0667
0759
20
0
0512
0
0753
67
16
154
37
0
4
0
0813
11
17
0650
18
0
0
0523
0
0
0
0
0521
0383
13
21
0
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0
0
25
30
4
0
0
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0522
0509
6
0547
0461
9
83
0619
0644
0772
9
0711
0395
7
0510
7
2002 Precincts
Census block group
0
0
17
5-10% >10%
Percent of Asian
<5%
VAP who do not
speak English well 5-10%
or at all
>10%
Source: U.S. Census SF3
Table P19 Columns 39+40+61+62
8
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29
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0
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0
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0
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0
6
0
0
0
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0
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0
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13
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0
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105
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0
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0
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112
0
0
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0
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7
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0
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136
0
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14
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14
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9
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47
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0
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0
7
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9
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0
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0
3
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0
0
0
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0
0
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0692
0
17
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10
0
0
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0
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4
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0
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19
0
0
0
0
0
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11
0475
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11
43
0
0
0
55
0076
22
Copyright 2003 Election Data Services, Inc.
0
6
0
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0679
18
87
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0
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0
0
3
0
8
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0
7
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0
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25
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9
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0
0
0
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4
0
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0
0
0
0
0
0
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0
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0
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0
0
0
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0
5
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0
9
0
30
10
0
21
0
0289
0
46
0
0
0102
0
0
0
0532
0
0
0
0419
0
0
0704
19
5
0280
34
25
12
0
0267
0
0
0770
0
0
9
0
0257
44
52
0
0533
0
0
0404
0
0
0242
27
0
115
0
0
0
0
00930
8
0762 230763
0134
0
0
0084
0
10
0796
0
0191
0
0
0277
0
0
0029
0
0
11
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0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0035
11
0
0
0
0708
0278
0
0
7
0
0
0
0394
0
18
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0
0221
0
0243
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0355
0
0
0
0
0607
0
0
0
0
0
0
10
0329
0
01320
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
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08790
0
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0
0
0
0
0
0
0
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0
0
0
0
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0
0
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0
0346
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0
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0
6
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0
0
0
0
0
0
451
0
0
9
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0
8
0
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0013
0
0
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0
0
0
0
174
19
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12
0036
0
0
5
0392
0271
0
16
0
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0
0
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0
0240
54
14
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0
0
0
0
0
0
17
0
01908
0
0
0
0
0
0
292
13
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0
0456
07390
0
0791
0
0
0777
27
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12
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11
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0
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0
0
0
0
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0
0
0
0
0
0766
16
0
0
0
0
0336
11
0
0
0
0237
0
0276
0
0
0386
0
0
0096
0
0
0
3
8
0
0
0542
0
0
0
0
0067
0
02380 0822
28
0
0
13
0318
0
0458
0
0
0
0
0
49
0453
323
0286
44
0573
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0
0
0
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0
8
0
0094
0
0
0
0203
0
0
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0
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0
0
0
0790
0
0
12
0
0538
0
0
0
0
0
0
0860
0
0
0226
0719
0
0
0862
0857
0
0
66
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11
0
0081
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0
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0
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0
0
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0
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0
0
0
0
0065
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
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0880
0
0
0
0072
0
0
0
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6
0
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0
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0
0
0
0164
0
0
0
0
10
0605
0368
0
0
0163
0
0
0010
0
0019
0024
50
9
0
0123
16
9
7
0472
0
0
0287
0
14
0
0255
0
0
9
10
48
0293
32
0638 0022
0
0819
0
0
0
0
5
0040
0
0
0361
0
0148
25
03500
32
0175
0
0281
0
0146
0
VAP = Voting Age Population, 18+ years
0
26
10
0
0
0
0176
30
0
0424
0
0
0087
0
0
0
0
0222
0
10
4
0089
2
0
0009
0
0020
9
0039
0
0
0
0137
0
0015 0
0
0
0
0232
0182
0
0268
0
4
54
0
18
32
0
10
0317
0
0
0
0
0060
0
0139
0
0
0691
0
0
0183
0
0
0
30
0
0
0316
9
0403
4
0
28
0233
0863
0
0360
0
0133
9
12
0856
26
0
0
0824
0
0229
0
0
0810
0187
0
0
20
9
07690
0
0
0413
0
0725
6
0
0783
0821
0
0259
0
0062
8
6
0354
0
0080
0
0
0
0
0
0
9
0
0
10
0
0
0202
0220
47
30
0
0812
0 0811
0560
15
0
0798
0
0
0
0818
0374
0
0
0373
0
04120 0079
0
0
0048
015918
21
0
0032
0455
0562
0161
0
0160 0
0
0016
0
0
0
0
0
0865
0
0201
0
0
0
0
6
0034
0
17
0
0
0
0215
0
0506
0
0
0177
0
0128 18
37
9
41
0554 0291
0
44
129
31
0826
8
0304
0693
21
0
0462
0
11
12
0
0
0
0
0
0369 0
0776
0
0
0030
0
16
0
0
0038
0
0
0217
0
5
54
0
41
0
0
0178
0
0570
0
0
0
68
0
03150
0
0
113
0
8
0214
14
0
35
0
15
0569
0345 38
0431
21
0
0335
77
0
0008
14
34
0
0788
0685
0314
0
0829
0
0
0555
048915
27
0
0
0
0
0
0
15
22
0
11
0284 107
0686
36
10
28
0359
0
0
15
11
0
0539
26
0
9
41
0
26
24
0627
10
0
0491 0684
04360
0
0037 0033
0
0200
0
0227
0135
0735
0
10
0044
0867
0
0
0
0681 0675
0680
10
0
0
0854
0
0
0186
0
01670
0736 0047
0
0
0
0852
0
7
0046
0
0
0001
0
0
00020
0138
0
0
0
0
0
0
0816
0
0
0
0353
0
0042
25
18
0
0817
0
0387
0
0376
15
0
0
0
0460
0
0
0115
0
0582
0
0103
0
0
0
0
0
0253
0581
0
0
0406
0
0371
0
0
0
0145
0580
0606
0
0144
0
0
0339 0846
0
0
0004
0
0
0003
0053
0
0
0
0344
0
0
0
0
0
0055
0
0
0434
0
0
0
0005
14
0
0
0501
0
0
0544
0
0
0
0
0
0196
0
0637
19
0
0401
0
0784
0583
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0007
0
15
0063
0
0
0
0
0
0574 0168
0171
0
0676
0
0207
0
0052
0
0
0234
0
0
10
0
043047
25
65
0427
0831 212
0869
0
0425
20
76
0
49
7
0
71
0
0
0432
0
0
0567
25
111
77
0565
163
75
0429
0556
0
0
0
18
0
226
0297
37
52
0143
10
307
150
103
112
7
172
0
0272
18
0421
34
0507 321
0808
69
155
0300
34
14
0508
0546
170
0
0282
0
0433
115
55
181
205
0
185
0129
0
16
0
0
0
0078
0
0
0
0206
0
0
0057
0
0
5
07100
0
0
0166
0
0611
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0150
0
0
0205
0
0
0702
0
0778
05430
0
0
0
0
0071
0
0
0
12
0
0
0059
0
0
0230
7
0
0
0
0
0075
0
0058
0
0
0789
0070
0
0653
11
0
19
08390
0298 6
8
124
0624
66
0487
111
10
6
0225
0
0054
0
0
0730
0
0
0313
0
0312
0572
0
0
0
0
0435
0
0
0
0130
0
0082
0
0
0
0
0
0
127
174
0
0
0086
0
0
7
0
0269
0
0385 0
13
0204
0
01790
22
0274
7
0213
0
12
0
0666
0
9
0
0
35
0647
0
0323
0
14
0620
0
0442
0761
17
0
0273
0499
26
2
0443
0
0
0707
0
0441
0
0440
0153
0
0
0
01950
0
0251
0
0
0
0
0585
0
0
0
0151
0
0
0775
0
0107
0
0192
0
0
0
0
0663
0
0
61
0
0
0809
0
8
0122
5
0367
0073
0
0245
4
7
0299
34
0
0
0324
0
0189
0
0
0
0
40
0244
0
0
0
0694
17
0209
21
13
0
0492
27
29
0882
300
0
55
0524
11
8
0493
8
07270
0765
95
46
Source: U.S. Census SF3 Table PCT10 Column 73
0625
0041
3
0265
0
0575
0
0
15
87
46
14
57
22
31
Percent of VAP who
speak Vietnamese at home
<5%
9
0558
34
0814
80
0600
Labeled with number of Asian VAP
who do not speak English well or at all
0
0
16
15
0439
10
0504
0
0263
14
0
68
20
0
0645
0
30
0305
43
0388
0258
18
0
0626
0
0577
6
11
0
0
20
7
0825
0
0448
8
0
39
13
0332 0043
17
0678
22
0
24
0
8
0706
0309
0118
27
8
0438
9
0
75
0483
40
0
0
043711
0
0
0
0
0511
58
25
0
0
40
0
3
10
23
12
0
0
0738
61
0
0751
0
0
0056
0
0720
0
0
0449
0505
0
0446
17
0330
49
0444
49
40
0165
0270
0
0
145
92
0370
18
0
23
27
0120
9
35
0
0117
0
0610
0
7
0445
96
0405
0
0621
30
0463
25
11
0
0
0834
0
0
0
0396
0
0454
0
0
9
0
0212
0
0341
0
0184
0
0
0578
0835
0045
0
0104
0
0252
0
0
3
0
0365
0
8
0
0832
0
0
0
0
0
0152
0
14
0
0
0
10
0254
0
0717
0
0
0
0
0105
0795
13
0683
6
0502
0
0591
0
0714
0
5
0
0261
0
0
0097
0
0382
0
0
0787
0
0326
0
9
0677
0
0
0571
0
0
0779
0
0325
0
0
30
0
23
0173
0
026452
0737
66
90
0
0579
0
0576
0
0584
0
0
0
0321
0
0
0
0858
19
0327
0
0
0
28
26
16
0310
27
0407
56
0
0618
0
0
0
0
0157
02460450
0322 21
26
0531
0
0
0320
6
0197
0
0
0
0
0
0
25
37
0517
0804
14
59
0
0
0
0380
0
0
0
0411
0
0
0169
0
0109
0848
35
0
10
0498
0
0689
12
0742
0656
6
0
27
0
0
0
0
0497
0
0
0608
0
0
0083
0741
0
0743
0
0
17
26
15
0147
15
0364
0155
0
0
0603
0
0594
12
0
35
8
0
0
264
74
0119
25
5
0661
0701
13
32
0
0185
10
0
0767
25
12
0
55
0260
0792
28
13
0664
0408
4
0494
49
82
0861
0
45
0622
0398
0241
23
0
20
10
0855
95
0723
0859
0
0628
0593
16
0074
27
19
0771
25
0643
0780
33
0595
16
105
32
13
14
0
0733
0
0397
0
0409
0
22
53
0467
287
0
19
0553
0
0617
0
0
0
0
0
0061
0
162
0366
0
0
19
0712
0
0
74
0
80
102
0687
56
0
0841
0705
0
0
0423
7
0864
40
0868
10
46
0447
0
105
23
165
112
12
0495
0609
0642
0
0
0106
7
0496
51
49
0
0604
0
0363
0
0847
0
0
0358
0697
0843
37
0
0671
28
0764
0840
12
15
0
0613
0400
0
69
0548
55
21
0518
0
7
0589
12
10
0
0
36
0
36
18
27
0713
0803
0410
22
0884
5
8
30
16
0050
0
0800
0
0
0
0794
0
0877
0
0698
140
83
0873
11
17
0
0881
0629
0
0549
48
0
0875
7
0709
0149
0
30
30
51
61
0878
67
34
17
0641
0
0480
0108
0
0660
84
0468
96
6
0125
0342
0
9
21
42
107
0640
0
17
17
0592
24
0113
0
0
0
0659
32
0
0516
11
0799
38
0
0
0700
0
11
123
16
0
0823
0
3
0
0
13
10
9
23
0519
7
0
0481
15
74
0
0669
0478
0
0
0
0602
0
0688
0
4
0
0334
0757
81
0
0658
10
25
0
0
0451
0
0098
0674
0
0598
0
0
0
0
0
0837
0838
0479
0
0351
31
0599
0
0756
0731
0
0
0
0
0520
0
0615
0623
0
0513
0
0469
0587
0657
14
0
0
0
0
0
34
9
0760
0
0
8
0
0
0466
0
0
0515
0
0828
13
0
0
0563
0
0199
0
0399
0
0836
0
04650
0
0
0729
0
0
0670
0
0
0
0
0
0514
0
0631
0
39
0768
38
0734
0
0
0590
0
0
0
0
0612
0
0
0586
0
0464
0
0
6
0
0
0
51
0
0112
0
0
0
0596
0006 0
0
0
0340
0
0747
0
0
0874
0
0357
0
0459
0
0500
0
0
11
0
0
0
0633
0
0
0
0
0634
0
0482
0
0
0126
0
8
0124
0
41
0
0110
0
0049
0
6
0
Appendix I-1
Memorandum of Understanding and Agreement
This Memorandum of Understanding and Agreement (“the
Agreement”) is entered into between the United States of America
(“United States") and Harris County, Texas, with an effective
date of [date].
Recitals
1.
On July 26, 2002, the Director of the Census determined
that the County is covered under the requirements of Section 203
of the Voting Rights Act, 42 U.S.C. 1973aa-1a, as it relates to
the Vietnamese language.
2.
Section 203 requires Harris County, Texas, and all of
the political subdivisions within Harris County, to provide all
election notices, forms, instructions, assistance and other
registration and voting materials and information, including
ballots, in the Vietnamese language as well as in English and in
Spanish.
3.
Promptly upon receiving notification that it was a
covered jurisdiction under Section 203 with respect to the
Vietnamese language, the County began efforts to comply fully
with the requirements of Section 203. The County translated into
Vietnamese all election-related materials used in Harris County,
with the exception of those materials that are prescribed and
supplied by the Texas Secretary of State. In addition, the
County established and has maintained a compact Vietnamese
Advisory Committee to aid the County in its efforts to develop a
Vietnamese-language program and to comply with Section 203.
4.
Since Harris County became covered under Section 203
for the Vietnamese language, the County and the United States
have worked together cooperatively to review and enhance the
County's progress in implementing its Vietnamese-language
program. In accordance with Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act,
the County submitted its Vietnamese-language forms and initial
procedures to the Attorney General for review, which forms and
procedures the United States Department of Justice (the
"Department") subsequently precleared. As part of that
submission, the County stated that its E-slate voting machines
would include a Vietnamese version of the ballot by 2003; a
series of circumstances, however, resulted in the E-slate
machines including only English and Spanish versions of the
ballots, so that the County prepared a Vietnamese ballot
1
44
Appendix I-2
“template” to supplement the machine ballot as provided in the
Attorney General’s Minority Language Guidelines.
5.
The County also welcomed the Civil Rights Division,
which has unique experience with minority language programs in
other jurisdictions, to observe the County's Vietnamese-language
program as it operated at the polls on election day, and
cooperated fully in that observation. The Civil Rights Division
was able, as a result of the County's cooperation, to identify a
number of issues in the operations of the County’s program.
Harris County, desiring to remedy any deficiencies in its
Vietnamese-language program, and to establish itself as a model
that other jurisdictions might emulate, has therefore agreed to
the following terms.
6.
The County does not admit to any violation of federal
law.
Harris County actively seeks to implement a model
Vietnamese-language program for compliance with Section 203.
Terms
1. The County, for all county elections and elections
conducted under an election services contract, as defined by the
Texas Election Code, shall provide instructions and ballots in
the Vietnamese language on the same basis as they are provided in
English and Spanish, including on all voting machines. All nonmachine ballots shall be bilingual or trilingual. The County
shall adopt procedures for determining which type of bilingual or
trilingual ballot should be offered or provided to individual
voters. Such procedures shall be subject to compliance with
Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.
2. Whenever the County enters into an election services
contract with any other entity, political subdivision, or
political party to conduct an election on behalf of that entity,
the County shall require such other entity to agree to abide by
the terms of this Agreement as if such entity were a party to
this Agreement with the United States, and consistent with the
responsibility of each such entity to comply fully with Section
203. Each independent school district or other educational
entity with which the County contracts shall agree to implement a
program that allows and encourages selected bilingual students
(as allowed by state law and as part of an educational program
devised by such district) to serve as poll officials on election
day for all county elections, including election days that fall
on school days. Such students shall receive academic credit
appropriate to their service as well as all pay and benefits of
2
45
Appendix I-3
poll officials.
Harris County
States sixty (60) days prior to
jurisdiction within Harris that
terms of this Agreement, and to
having elections on such date.
agrees to notify the United
each election of each
does agree to cooperate in the
identify all other entities
3. All voter registration and election notices, forms,
instructions, and other materials available to voters in English
shall also be printed in Vietnamese, and shall be displayed or
available in each polling place on the same basis as English
language materials and information. The distribution of
information through the media shall be in the Vietnamese language
in newspapers and other media that exclusively or regularly
publish or broadcast information in Vietnamese.
The
announcements need not be identical in all respects to English
language announcements, but shall be in the form, frequency and
media best calculated to achieve notice and understanding equal
to that provided to the English-literate population and to
provide substantially the same information.
4. The County acknowledges the need for Vietnamese-speaking
personnel in all phases of the election process. The County
shall maintain and publicize telephone numbers where citizens may
obtain election information from Vietnamese-speaking personnel
trained in the entire election process. Polling places which
have more than 50 Vietnamese-surnamed registered voters at the
time of an election usually, but not always, will under the
conditions that prevail in Harris County, require a Vietnamesespeaking poll official or interpreter to assist voters and answer
their questions, and the County will ensure that such personnel
are stationed at each such polling place. The United States
recognizes that this general need may vary from place to place,
and over time; accordingly, the County may establish, subject to
compliance with Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, a procedure
for determining, for any election, which particular precincts or
polling places have no need for such assistance, or for providing
such assistance through early voting, absentee voting, or other
reasonable means. In such cases, no Vietnamese speaking poll
official or interpreter will be necessary at such a site.
Similarly, the County shall be responsive to evidence that
precincts with fewer than 50 Vietnamese-surnamed registered
voters contain voters who may need Vietnamese assistance, and
shall meet such need through Vietnamese-speaking poll officials
or interpreters or other reasonable means. For each election,
the County shall have Vietnamese-speaking personnel available on
call to travel to polling places as required to assist voters at
any site where a Vietnamese-speaking official is not available.
3
46
Appendix I-4
5. The County shall publicize through Vietnamese-language
media the right of voters who require assistance in casting their
ballots to receive such assistance from any person, other than
the voter’s employer or agent of that employer or officer or
agent of the voter’s union, consistent with Section 208 of the
Voting Rights Act, 42 U.S.C. 1973aa-6 and the Texas Election
Code. The County also shall publicize such information through
English and Spanish language media.
6. To assist in the recruitment of bilingual poll officials
and interpreters, the County shall survey its employees to
identify personnel who speak Vietnamese, and shall make such
employees available for service at the polls on election day, or
place them on call to address questions or problems that may
arise to the extent such employees are available to provide
assistance.
7. In addition to providing training in the operation of
the polls, the operation of voting equipment, and state law
rules, requirements, and election procedures, the County shall
train all election judges, alternate election judges and clerks
in the legal requirements of Section 203 and Section 208 of the
Voting Rights Act, and on the need to avoid inappropriate remarks
and conduct within the polling place. The County shall maintain
a record of which poll officials attend training sessions,
including the time, location and training personnel.
8. The County shall adopt a checklist that each election
judge must complete and sign before the election judge receives
payment for work in the election, subject to applicable state and
federal law, and shall maintain a record of each such failure to
complete and sign the checklist. The checklist shall include
attestation that the election judge posted or made available
Vietnamese-language sample ballots, voter registration and
address update forms, affidavits, and other such items in the
poll kit; that voters were allowed to receive assistance from
persons of their choice in compliance with Section 208 and the
Texas Election Code; and that voters whose names did not appear
on the poll list or who lacked voter registration cards or other
requisite identification were treated equally and as required by
law, the specific legal provisions being described on such
checklist.
9. The County shall employ, on a full time basis, an
individual (“the Coordinator”) to coordinate the Vietnamese
election program for all elections within the County and the
County shall provide that individual transportation and other
4
47
Appendix H-5
contract with the County may limit such distribution to group
members within or serving their geographic area, and others
expressing an interest in such materials and information.
12. The Coordinator shall make and preserve records of all
tasks undertaken pursuant to this Agreement during the term of
the Agreement and for a period of at least two years after its
termination.
13. Each standard, practice or procedure that must be
created by the terms of this Agreement is subject to compliance
with Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, 42 U.S.C. 1973c. Such
standards, practices or procedures may be modified to meet the
changing needs of the Vietnamese community in Harris County
subject to the requirements of Section 5.
14. This Agreement shall continue in formal operation
through December 31, 2006; however, Harris County firmly
expresses its intention to continue the beneficial practices and
procedures of the Agreement beyond that time.
6
48
49