An anti-discrimination complaint is expected to be filed today on behalf of limited English speaking Asian American voters in Philadelphia, reports Philly.com: .
The case with the city’s Human Relations Commission will be filed by the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF),Boat People-SOS of the Delaware Valley, and the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Pennsylvania.
57 percent of foreign born Asian Americans in Philadelphia have limited proficiency in English and have the right to special assistance.
A Vietnamese American voter who needed assistance understanding the ballot was only able to get it when poll workers spotted someone on the street who happened to speak Vietnamese.
When a Chinese American voter showed up at the wrong polling place in Chinatown, he was sent away without any assistance finding the right precinct.
The suit accuses the city of routinely violating its own Fair Practices Ordinance by not providing help where it is needed– for Koreans in North Philadelphia; Vietnamese in South Philadelphia; Chinese in Center City; and Cambodians in parts of Olney and South Philadelphia.
You can read how the plaintiffs investigated the lack of bilingual poll workers in Philly.com: .