A bill designed to make it easier for counties to find translators for voters who have difficulty communicating with poll workers has been vetoed by Texas Governor Rick Perry, reports My SA.
The bill passed with bipartisan support would have allowed voters to bring an interpreter of their choice, undoing a current law which requires the interpreter to be a registered voter.
Voting rights advocates say the bill will impact Asian American voters the most.
“In the state of Texas we have a lot of people who speak Spanish,” said Sondra Haltom, president of Empower the Vote Texas. “It is much more difficult for people to find an interpreter who can read and speak Vietnamese or Mandarin.”
SB 722 passed the Senate 26-4 and then in the House 142- 6 with little controversy.
But Perry said the current system contains safeguards and should be retained.
You can read more about his veto in My SA.
