New Yorkers Have the Right to Vote in Their Own Language. Here's What You Need to Know. – City Limits

New Yorkers Have the Right to Vote in Their Own Language. Here’s What You Need to Know.  City Limits

“New York City, especially, has a lot of laws that regulate language access,” Olivia Nuñez of the NYC Campaign Finance Board explained. “New York City, especially, has a lot of laws that regulate language access,” said Olivia Nuñez, NYC Campaign Finance Board community engagement director. “All New Yorkers have the right to vote and to get a ballot in their language.” New York City’s linguistic diversity is vast, with residents speaking just over 700 languages. Language access in New York City elections is governed by a multi-layered framework of federal, state, and city laws, covering different segments of the non-English-speaking electorate. These laws cover a little more than a dozen languages—the most widely spoken ones.

“New York City, especially, has a lot of laws that regulate language access,” Olivia Nuñez, NYC Campaign Finance Board community engagement director, explained. “We actually have more laws in place of protection than even at the federal level does.” In New York State, about 5.96 million people aged 5 and over spoke a language other than English at home in 2024, according to Census data. A New York City Campaign Finance Board report published that same year found that 16.4 percent of New York City citizens of voting age had limited English proficiency. In boroughs like Queens and the Bronx, this percentage is even higher,