Hispanic voters want Election Day problems resolved
Spanish-speaking residents say they encountered a number of problems on Election Day - some that prevented votes from being cast. A lack of Spanish-speaking poll workers, no Spanish ballots and names missing from voter lists were among the complaints in Cuyahoga County. Cleveland City Councilman Nelson Cintron Jr., who was born in Puerto Rico, intends to meet with county elections director Michael Vu to discuss the problems. "We need more Hispanics at the polling locations," Cintron said. "And not only Hispanics. If we look around the entire city and all of Cuyahoga County there are different cultures coming into our area who need help." Vu said he wants to work with Hispanic and other groups to make voting accessible to as many people as possible. "I definitely understand it," Vu said. "My parents have the same issues. They're first generation and English is their second language." Vu's parents immigrated to the United States from Vietnam. Hiring poll workers who speak other languages, he said, is a priority. More sophisticated voting machines, which the state will switch to in coming years, should make it easier and less expensive to provide ballots in a number of languages. [more]