Thanks to a recent ruling by federal judge Mark Walker, the state of Florida will now be required to provide Spanish-language ballots ahead of the 2018 midterm elections. Plaintiffs in the case argued that the Spanish-language ballots were necessary, as the recent influx of Puerto Ricans into the state following Hurricane Maria created a large number of non-English speaking voters who intend to vote in the upcoming elections.
On that count, the plaintiffs were certainly correct. There are a large number of voters in Florida, and likely several other states, who have no command of English. They’re functionally illiterate in the language.
This story should be about the responsibilities and duties of a citizen to learn the common language. Yet, this is oddly being twisted into a voting rights issue. Why should the government be responsible for accommodating citizens who don’t speak English?
In his decision, Judge Walker wrote that Puerto Ricans are “unique among Americans” in that they are “not educated primarily in English -- and do not need to be.” A spokesperson for Governor Rick Scott added that we don’t want any registered voters to not be able to exercise their right because of a language barrier.
These comments are alarming. They resemble the new and Orwellian national motto of our nation’s leaders: Diversity is strength. These individuals are telling us that Americans don’t have to be educated in English, and that language barriers don’t matter. And yet, somehow many of our nation’s political leaders believe these differences and language barriers will bring people together and make us stronger. If the idea that more language barriers will make us stronger seems counterintuitive, it’s because it is.
It is an obvious fact that members of a society and a country must be able to communicate with each other. As Gil Laroya wrote in the left-leaning Huffington Post, “communication is a basic, fundamental part of any functioning society. If a group can’t communicate within itself, confusion and frustration can soon set in.” Can you imagine not being able to communicate with your fellow neighbor? Even worse, what if millions of Americans could literally not understand their fellow countrymen because they don’t speak English. This is happening all across America, as statistics show there are millions of naturalized U.S. citizens who are functionally illiterate in English.
For example, according to the U.S. Census data for New Jersey, 40% of residents who don’t speak English at home also “don’t speak English very well” at all. Similarly, as immigration has increased in the small town of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, the town has had to hire new teachers to educate the now hundreds of students who have to take English as a second language. Take my beloved hometown of Miami, even, where it’s commonplace to find individuals and businesses that cannot communicate in English. Just a few weeks ago, a Taco Bell employee in nearby Hialeah was fired for refusing to take the order of a customer who spoke English. The employee claimed that, because none of the employees in the restaurant spoke English, they could not understand or take the customer’s order. The story naturally went viral on social media and sparked an outrage. If a story about Taco Bell employees refusing to conduct business in English is an outrage, shouldn’t stories about voters who can’t vote in English be equally as outrageous?
This isn’t a complicated issue. Call me crazy, but I believe society would function best for all parties involved if we could all speak a common language. A nation can’t properly function without one. That’s not to say that there’s anything wrong with speaking another language to someone who understands it. In fact, I speak three languages myself, but newcomers and those who lack proficiency in English would better assimilate into society upon learning the language, which would in turn open doors for better job and education opportunities.
Learning the English language is something immigrants should voluntarily pursue in order to assimilate into the American society they want to gain citizenship in. However, some immigrants don’t because our country continues to make accomodations which clearly suggest learning English is not necessary. As these accommodations can be costly and cause a burden on society, then perhaps it’s time for lawmakers to require this assimilation through legislation.
Eduardo Neret is a UF finance senior. His column normally appears on Mondays.
