Shauna Reilly is associate professor in political science at Northern Kentucky University.

This book raises a number of interesting questions about the extent and implementation of the language assistance provisions of the Voting Rights Act, including coverage as it relates to Hispanic, Asian, American Indian, and Native Alaskan populations. Reilly pulls together information from a variety of government and academic sources, as well as from interviews with bureaucrats and community members, to present a detailed overview of the history and effect of these provisions. Most powerful is her analysis of the extent and causes of differences in translations provided to voters, particularly in Spanish but with illustrative examples from other languages as well. While Spanish translations often result in ballot measure descriptions that are more easily read than their English counterparts, translations to other languages have sometimes made those measures indecipherable. Later chapters explore the causes of these sources of variation in translation quality and provide helpful tips for election officials and community activists hoping to improve language access for covered populations, such as the tendency of professional translators to use formal language, which can result in reduced readability. A dense volume packed with references and data. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate, research, and professional collections.

• Chapter 1. Introduction to Ballot Accessibility and the Language Minority Provisions Chapter 2. Legal Framework of Minority Language Ballot AccessChapter 3. Minority Language Voters: A Demographic StudyChapter 4. Readability of Ballot MeasuresChapter 5: Analysis of State and County Policies on Minority Language Ballots Chapter 6: Views of Political ActorsChapter 7: Conclusion and Policy Potential

Shauna Reilly is associate professor in political science at Northern Kentucky University.

This book raises a number of interesting questions about the extent and implementation of the language assistance provisions of the Voting Rights Act, including coverage as it relates to Hispanic, Asian, American Indian, and Native Alaskan populations. Reilly pulls together information from a variety of government and academic sources, as well as from interviews with bureaucrats and community members, to present a detailed overview of the history and effect of these provisions. Most powerful is her analysis of the extent and causes of differences in translations provided to voters, particularly in Spanish but with illustrative examples from other languages as well. While Spanish translations often result in ballot measure descriptions that are more easily read than their English counterparts, translations to other languages have sometimes made those measures indecipherable. Later chapters explore the causes of these sources of variation in translation quality and provide helpful tips for election officials and community activists hoping to improve language access for covered populations, such as the tendency of professional translators to use formal language, which can result in reduced readability. A dense volume packed with references and data. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate, research, and professional collections.

• Chapter 1. Introduction to Ballot Accessibility and the Language Minority Provisions Chapter 2. Legal Framework of Minority Language Ballot AccessChapter 3. Minority Language Voters: A Demographic StudyChapter 4. Readability of Ballot MeasuresChapter 5: Analysis of State and County Policies on Minority Language Ballots Chapter 6: Views of Political ActorsChapter 7: Conclusion and Policy Potential

Shauna Reilly is associate professor in political science at Northern Kentucky University.

This book raises a number of interesting questions about the extent and implementation of the language assistance provisions of the Voting Rights Act, including coverage as it relates to Hispanic, Asian, American Indian, and Native Alaskan populations. Reilly pulls together information from a variety of government and academic sources, as well as from interviews with bureaucrats and community members, to present a detailed overview of the history and effect of these provisions. Most powerful is her analysis of the extent and causes of differences in translations provided to voters, particularly in Spanish but with illustrative examples from other languages as well. While Spanish translations often result in ballot measure descriptions that are more easily read than their English counterparts, translations to other languages have sometimes made those measures indecipherable. Later chapters explore the causes of these sources of variation in translation quality and provide helpful tips for election officials and community activists hoping to improve language access for covered populations, such as the tendency of professional translators to use formal language, which can result in reduced readability. A dense volume packed with references and data. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate, research, and professional collections.

• Chapter 1. Introduction to Ballot Accessibility and the Language Minority Provisions Chapter 2. Legal Framework of Minority Language Ballot AccessChapter 3. Minority Language Voters: A Demographic StudyChapter 4. Readability of Ballot MeasuresChapter 5: Analysis of State and County Policies on Minority Language Ballots Chapter 6: Views of Political ActorsChapter 7: Conclusion and Policy Potential