KING FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST CULVER AND
MAURO
FOR VIOLATING IOWA’S OFFICIAL ENGLISH
LAW
WASHINGTON
–
U.S.
Congressman Steve King, along with
citizen advocacy group U.S. English,
Iowa County Auditors, state elected
officials and a naturalized immigrant,
today filed a lawsuit in state district
court against Iowa Governor-elect Chet
Culver and Secretary of State Michael
Mauro for violating Iowa’s official
English law.
Last year,
as Secretary of State, Culver placed
illegal voting forms, such as voter
registration and absentee ballot
application forms, on taxpayer-supported
Secretary of State website in foreign
languages. Iowa’s new Secretary of
State, Michael Mauro, has continued to
violate Iowa’s law by placing voting
forms on his website in Spanish,
Bosnian, Vietnamese and Laotian.
However,
Iowa law mandates that all official
government communications must be in
English. According to Chapter 1.18 of
the Iowa Code, “the English language is
hereby declared to be the official
language of the state of Iowa. All
official… publications…shall be in the
English language.” Iowa’s official
English law was authored and pushed
through by King when he was a state
Senator and signed into law by Governor
Vilsack in 2002.
King wrote
a letter to Culver last fall to call
attention to the violation. However,
Culver refused to remove the foreign
language materials from his website,
thereby refusing to comply with Iowa
law. King then announced he was
prepared to move forward to enforce Iowa
law.
“Unfortunately we can see a pattern for
those who hold the title as Iowa’s chief
elections officer,” said King. “Culver
was in violation of the law, yet he
refused to abide by the law. Mauro
continues to be in clear violation of
the law. However, neither of these
officials is above the law.”
“Naturalized citizens are required to
demonstrate proficiency in English as a
condition of citizenship. English is the
language of opportunity.
They
are proud of their accomplishments and
should not be discouraged from full
assimilation into Iowa life,” added
King. “No one in Iowa is entitled to
register to vote in a foreign
language.”
In 2000,
King challenged Vilsack on the
definition of Iowa law and was
ultimately successful.
In the
U.S. Congress, King is the recognized
leader of the effort to establish
English as the official language of the
United States. In the 108th
and 109th Congresses, King
introduced the
English
Language Unity Act, which
would establish English as the official
language of the United States. The bill
was among the most supported in the
House. He plans to reintroduce the bill
in the 110th Congress. In
addition, he led the charge to allow the
dated requirement to expire in the
Voting Rights Act which forces certain
localities, not in Iowa, to provide and
fund foreign language ballots.
Background on Iowa’s English Language
Reaffirmation Act:
▪ Requires
official communications, such as voter
registration forms, to be in English.
Private sector businesses are not
affected.
▪ The law
includes a narrow exception that allows
translation by state officials if it is
necessary to secure a constitutional
right. However, this does not allow
foreign language ballots and voting
materials. Voting is a right, but the
U.S. Constitution does not provide a
right for citizens to vote in any
language they choose. Further, there is
no jurisdiction in Iowa that is subject
to the foreign language voting
requirements of the Voting Rights Act.
▪ Only
U.S. citizens have the right to vote in
federal elections. In order to become a
citizen, individuals must prove
proficiency in written and spoken
English. Therefore, there is no reason
to allow people to register in foreign
languages.
▪ Under
federal law, Iowans have the right to
bring someone into the voting booth with
them if they need help understanding the
ballot.
