How translators help remove barriers to voting for Indigenous communities

Judy Woodruff:

Ahead of Election Day, many groups face challenges voting, whether early or at the voting booth.

For some Native American communities, it is being able to read and understand the voting process and ballots.

From the Cronkite School of journalism in Phoenix, Alexia Stanbridge explains.

Alexia Stanbridge:

Maxine Wadsworth is a translator for Navajo County Elections, which covers many parts of both the Navajo and Hopi Nation in northern Arizona.

Her job is to translate voting information into the Hopi language. Many indigenous languages emphasize oral, not written communications. So Wadsworth and her team translate election materials, recording audio files that voters can listen to when they vote.

Maxine Wadsworth, Translator, Navajo County Elections:

The screen is now on.

Alexia Stanbridge:

These translations allow indigenous voters to fully participate in a process that may determine their future.

Maxine Wadsworth:

It is important for elections to have an interpreter or a translator to help the people understand what their options in voting and to have the proper tools to assist them in making the right choices.

Alexia Stanbridge:

It's crunch time. The election is just a few days away. The team on the Hopi Nation spends hours translating voting instructions and ballots.

In many cases, they have to call election offices for clarification, seeking meanings behind words.

Maxine Wadsworth:

It makes it very challenging when you're asked to interpret a document which generally has no place in Hopi language at all.

Alexia Stanbridge:

Wadsworth says, in the Hopi language, there aren't single terms for certain government roles.

Maxine Wadsworth:

The governor is (SPEAKER FOREIGN LANGUAGE) who is the leader of the state.

Alexia Stanbridge:

Other election officials, like Rosita Kelly works for the Navajo Elections Administration. She says it is not as simple as a word-for-word translation.

Rosita Kelly, Executive Director, Navajo Elections Administration:

It would take certain — maybe two or three sentences in Navajo to describe a word.

Alexia Stanbridge:

Tribal nations cover over a quarter of Arizona land with vast distances between many communities and voting locations.

On the Tohono O'odham Nation, the 11 polling places are spread across an area almost the size of Connecticut. There are 22 tribal nations in Arizona. Ballots are translated into just three languages, Hopi, Apache, and Navajo, by the certain counties where the tribes meet guidelines under the Voting Rights Act for English proficiency within their populations.

The Tohono O'odham Nation is one of the many tribes whose ballots are not translated. Tribal member Verlon Jose says that puts the older members of his tribe at a disadvantage.

Verlon Jose, Member, Tohono O’odham Nation:

It would impact everyone, mainly the elders, mainly the people that live in communities that are remote who are still very fluent, and it's what they speak every day.

Alexia Stanbridge:

Jose says translations would have additional benefits.

Verlon Jose:

I believe that would help increase the voter turnout, because people will more understand what is actually on the ballot.

Karen Shupla, Hopi Tribal Registrar:

What does this proposition mean? What does tax mean? What does, you know, different — whatever the propositions are.

Alexia Stanbridge:

Hopi tribal registrar Karen Shupla says ballot propositions, whose descriptions in voter guides can be pages' long, can be confusing in any language.

One resource election workers offer is in-person translations at polling centers, while making sure not to coach tribal members on whom to vote for.

Karen Shupla:

It also helps them to explain, like, don't be afraid. They can translate for you, and they will help you understand the propositions.

Alexia Stanbridge:

The goal, says Maxine Wadsworth of Navajo County Elections, isn't just to make it easier for tribal members to participate in the electoral process. It is to give them voice and power.

Maxine Wadsworth:

It is necessary. It is necessary to inform, give the voters an opportunity for information that could help them make the — making an informed decision for themselves and the things that they believe in.

Alexia Stanbridge:

For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Alexia Stanbridge With Cronkite News on the Hopi Nation.

Judy Woodruff:

So glad we are able to highlight that.