Annotated Bibliographies

Jennifer Conley
Ms. Hughes
20 November 2009

Thesis Statement:
Many citizens would argue that English should be our official language, but what about those citizens who practice their culture every day? Should these citizens be penalized for their practices in the way they speak or understand language or should we also utilize their abilities in our everyday life too?


“A Nation Divided: The Consequences of Bilingual Ballots.” ProEnglish: Repealing Bilingual Ballots. 4 Nov. 2009 http://www.proenglish.org/issues/ballots/fivereasons.html.

This is a pro-English article that discusses their opinion upon bilingual ballots. In this article five main points are brought to attention. The first point talks about the justification and election materials. Their response is that citizens are suppose to know English to become citizens, so why not keep practicing English as the official language. The second reason is that the requirements of bilingual ballots are arbitrary and wasteful. Citizens believe that the requirements of making ballots in another language are unnecessary when facts show a majority of citizens can speak English. Third, the local governments have to make the ballots and they are unfunded and mandatory. In their defense, the assistance amendment to the Voting Rights’ Act is provided. Fourthly, the likelihood of errors and vote fraud are increased. This reason is provided with the statistics of previous elections and how the vote was swayed to the poll workers bias opinion. The last point is simply that bilingual ballots are a growing burden. Citizens think that too much money is being spent to provide the materials and help needed, especially when the help provided has ended up causing confusion at the polls. Since my argument is not set to one side or the other, some of these points will be argued against while others will help prove my reasoning.


"Bilingual Ballot Laws." ProEnglish: The English Language Advocates. Web. 18 Nov. 2009. http://www.proenglish.org/issues/ballots/overview.htm.

This web page shows an overview of the Bilingual Ballot Provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It states that, “The Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965 was originally enacted to prohibit state and local governments from denying or abridging the right to vote "on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude," a right guaranteed by the 15th Amendment.” At the time it was enacted to protect the right of voting for black Americans. “But in 1975 Congress greatly expanded the Voting Rights Act's original intent by inserting special protections for "language minorities.” By doing this Congress made voting available to any individual who was an American citizen. The only set back with this act is that it was passed as a temporary adjustment and not officially a concrete adjustment. Since this is temporary Congress has renewed this act twice in 1982 and then again in 1992. If this bill was not renewed in 2007 then it will have expired. If amendment made it fair for citizens to vote with bilingual ballots and it keeps getting renewed by Congress, why not just make it official? Voting is a right that every American citizen should be able to practice. Limiting voting to citizens who speak English very well does not make it fair. This is unjust to what this country was founded on and keeps America from being united.