NYC Board of Election/Advisory group meeting for Korean language assistance program
by kace
Posted on December 7, 2009
December 7, 2009 Korean American Voter’s Council (KAVC) attended Korean/Chinese Language Assistance Program Advisory group meeting in the NYC Board of Election. They requested for an adjustments to be made in the BOE for many complaints received from Korean voters during KAVC’s election hotline. With that, KAVC requested for an improvement in the Korean language service as well.
At the meeting, KAVC attorney- Chejin Park first pointed out the problems regarding Korean interpreter’s lack of education. Last Oct 28, when KAVC opened an Korean interpreter meeting and made a survey for each interpreters, the results showed that 15% of interpreter who attended the BOE 2hr training class, however did not fully understand the material, as well as 21% of Korean interpreter answered that 2hr training class provided by the BOE had lack of in formations in order to work in poll site.
In fact, Queens County needs minimum of approximately 181 Korean interpreters. However, it should be considerate in knowing there are very few Korean interpreters that it is very hard for BOE to place one in every poll sites. Moreover, for the interpreters who are only comfortable in communication can be helped by learning the BOE material in Korean, or translating the education material into Korean will be much more helpful for interpreters to work in poll site.
BOE said in order for Korean interpretation, the person should be fluent in English. Korean interpreters are not poll workers which they have limited training hrs compared to the trainings the poll workers have. BOE will review the education material for Korean interpreters in Korean language.
KAVC said election notice letter that comes every year should be also improved. Currently, the election notice letter were sent in end of August, the information contained in Korean, English, Chinese, Spanish, etc were all crowded up in one place, and actually ED/AD/Party were all abbreviated and printed in other location that the voters couldn’t find other information other than the location of poll site.
Without having more expense, the printing position can be reordered, and then it can be seen easily like the Korean voter registration form in first page. BOE then accepted the suggestion and will reconfirm the process later on.
At last, KAVC mentioned the problems that happened in the last primary and run-off election. 3 of the Korean voters had problems such as their parties were changed automatically without their permission to change. 2 of the Korean voter had a problem such failure in filing complaint and while one voter from Bronx had a complaint filed.
KAVC then sent the complaint letter and related files to Board of Election in Bronx in favor of the Korean voter. However, there were no answer to the complaint about more than a month that they resent the complaint letter to the Manhattan Board of Election headquarter, but eventually, the complaint letter were redelivered to Bronx and there were no reply. After receiving no reply, KAVC sent the complaint letter to the government bureau of civil rights, then after 2 days, KAVC received a reply from the BOE of Bronx.
By the mistake of BOE, the Korean voter’s party was changed that the voter did not receive any confirmation mail regarding his/her affidavit ballot. The problem was that the BOE replied back to the government bureau of civil rights, however did not give the official explanation to the applicable voter, and KAVC. KAVC received that BOE will once again check for this problem, and will monitor all the filed complaints through the advisory committee groups.
KAVC founded out that the Bronx voter’s party was changed to democratic during the date of Nov 9th (after the general election) that the voter’s status was shown that he/she could not vote in the 2010 democratic primary election. KAVC pointed out the problem and received an answer that BOE will modify and solve the problem.
However, from next primary election, they will be using the new voting machine that will bring chaos New York City’s election in 2010. Especially the new voting machine is not like the old mechanical but it is like electronically that from last and this year, they had many demonstrations events in many places. Then there used to be no Korean interpretation in the machine that KAVC requested for change in the machine for Korean language to come out.
BOE mentioned in today’s presentation that new voting machine presentation will be held around within 2, 3 weeks.