They are asking the court to order Padilla to issue a corrected directive consistent with the California Elections Code.
In a statement, Linda Lye, a senior staff attorney with the ACLU Foundation of Northern California, said, “We hope a judge will correct this injustice so that voters, regardless of language ability, can participate fully and equally in the November election. California should be at the forefront of encouraging robust voter participation by our state’s diverse communities.”
Jonathan Stein of Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus, said California has the most immigrant voters in the country. It has an obligation to lead the nation in reducing barriers to voting.
On the other hand, Deanna Kitamura of Deanna Kitamura of Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles, commented that thousands of precincts will not receive language assistance under Padilla’s current directive.
California Sec. of State added assistance for six new languages
Meanwhile, in a statement to NBC News, Sam Mahood, the spokesman for Padilla, commented that their office has been removing barriers for voters with limited English proficiency.
