On Monday morning, the Arkansas Secretary of State’s office had reported 453,239 Arkansans voted early, but not all counties had reported their totals.(Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate)
Immigrant advocacy group Arkansas United is providing translation services and assistance for Spanish-speaking voters during this year’s 2022 General Election.
Arkansas United will host a “Party at the Polls” on Nov. 5 where the statewide nonprofit will have translators available at early voting locations in Benton, Washington and Pulaski Counties to assist Spanish-speaking voters.
“Due to recent actions by the courts, our English-limited voters will once again run the risk of not getting the language assister of their choice,” executive director Mireya Reith said in a press release. “Where we believe we will prevail in the court proceedings to come, in the interim, for this election, we look forward to rallying as many volunteers as we can to ensure that language support is not a barrier to voting access in Arkansas.”
A federal appeals court has delayed implementation of an August ruling that ordered the state to stop enforcing a 2009 state law that prohibited someone other than poll workers from assisting more than six voters in casting a ballot.
Translators will be available at the following polling locations from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday:
- Benton County — Benton County Election Commission Building at 2109 W. Walnut St. in Rogers
- Washington County — Elmdale Baptist Church at 1700 W. Huntsville Ave. in Springdale
- Pulaski County — Dee Brown Library at 6325 Baseline Rd. in Little Rock
- Fort Smith — Appointments by request
Arkansas United is also offering a Spanish voter protection hotline to answer questions from individuals who may encounter language access issues or other obstacles at the polls. This hotline will be operated by trained staff and led by Arkansas United deputy director Joshua Ang Price, who is also a former Pulaski County election commissioner.
“No one should ever be turned away from the polls for any reason,” Price said in a statement. “As American citizens, we have the right to vote and make our voices heard.”
Price is also the voter protection coordinator for the Democratic Party of Arkansas, which has its own voter protection hotline.
A Republican Party of Arkansas representative said voters can call the RPA office if they have any questions. Office hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
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