Los Angeles Officials Alert on Voter Citizenship Verification Issues
Los Angeles County election officials have pointed out a significant concern: they don’t have the means to verify the citizenship of registered voters. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli has raised alarms about this situation, arguing that it poses a threat to election integrity. He insists that immediate actions must be taken at the state level to enhance the reliability of the voting process.
In other news, voters in Chicago will have the option to cast ballots in 12 different languages for the upcoming election, an expansion that has prompted Illinois Republican Party Chairman Bob Grogan to voice his concerns. Grogan suggests that this increase complicates the already intricate election system, making it difficult for independent monitoring. He expressed that the availability of languages like Tagalog, Gujarati, and Urdu adds layers of challenge for election judges and party observers, who are supposed to ensure that voters get accurate ballots.
Grogan explained that many voters who require these translations might also be proficient in English, questioning the necessity for such extensive language options. He described this situation as “a solution in search of a problem,” implying that it reflects more of a big-city attitude rather than a genuine need.
Chicago voters will have access to ballots in English, Spanish, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Tagalog, Polish, Gujarati, Urdu, Ukrainian, Arabic, and Russian. According to a spokesperson for the Chicago Board of Elections, the U.S. Voting Rights Act mandates that certain precincts provide materials in Spanish, Chinese, and Hindi. The addition of other languages aligns with the Cook County Clerk’s office policies to ensure equal voting opportunities for all residents.
However, Grogan, who was previously a DuPage County auditor for over a decade, mentioned that most of his Gujarati friends speak English, and he questioned why language requirements vary significantly from one county to another. He pointed out that while Chicago provides an extensive range of language options, nearby DuPage County offers much less.
Data shared with Fox News Digital revealed that some of the less frequently used language combinations garnered minimal participation in the March primary. For example, only nine ballots in English-Gujarati were cast, with similar low numbers for options like English-Urdu and English-Arabic. In contrast, English-Polish and English-Chinese ballots saw a significantly higher turnout.
While questioning the necessity for translations, Grogan raised concerns regarding the capacity of election judges and party observers to monitor ballots in languages they don’t understand. In response, the Chicago Board of Elections affirmed that they have staff for translations and noted that voters can bring interpreters if needed during the voting process. They also mentioned that among the 7,218 election judges prepared for the upcoming election, 810 are multilingual.
When probed about whether additional languages could lead to election security issues, Grogan acknowledged that the extent of the risk depends on how broadly the translated ballots are utilized. The figures indicate that 7,857 multilingual ballots were cast in the recent primary, which is roughly 1.85% of the total ballots cast in the city.
In Grogan’s view, monitoring elections becomes more challenging with these language options. “If one ballot is cast in a language, that presents a minor vulnerability,” he noted. However, he cautioned that a surge in ballots from less understood languages could escalate risks.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Chicago Board of Elections regarding the language options for mail-in ballots but did not receive a response before publication.
