From Pennsylvania Common Cause: (https://www.commoncause.org/pennsylvania/):
This week the PA Department of State launched their online vote-by-mail application in Spanish, affirming the right of ALL Pennsylvanians to cast a ballot — regardless of the language they speak.
Until now, voters could only request vote-by-mail ballots online in English, even though Pennsylvanians speak a wide variety of languages.
This made it much more difficult for Pennsylvanians with limited English proficiency to vote — our applications can already be confusing and complicated for native English speakers, and the language barrier was an added challenge.
But the Department of State is taking a big step toward language accessibility with their new announcement — by making it easier for all eligible Pennsylvanians to access the voting process.
It’s especially crucial that online vote-by-mail applications are available in Spanish, since mail-in voting will be critical to a safe, secure, and accessible November election.
Language access should not be a barrier for eligible Pennsylvanians to exercise their right to vote — and providing applications in Spanish is a vital step to ensuring that the many native Spanish speakers in the Commonwealth can participate in our democracy.
To apply for your mail-in or absentee ballot, you have two options:
- Click here, choose your language option in the upper right corner, and complete the online application.
- Apply for your mail-in ballot in-person at your local county elections office. Once your application has been approved, you’ll receive your ballot in the mail, which you can return in the included postage-paid ballot return envelope.
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