November 5, 2024 Philadelphia PA— Following the 2020 Census, Pennsylvania expanded its ballot system to include Chinese, significantly improving accessibility for Chinese-speaking voters. Now, Pennsylvania voters have the option to cast their ballots in English, Spanish, or Chinese—an initiative aimed at supporting Asian American voters, particularly those of Chinese descent.
As the largest city in Pennsylvania and the highest-volume ballot-counting center in this critical swing state, Philadelphia is pioneering efforts to enhance services for multilingual voters. On Election Day, representatives from the Chinese in US (CUS) conducted an in-depth interview with the Philadelphia City Commissioners at the city’s ballot-counting center to learn more about the implementation of Chinese ballots and services for multilingual voters. Philadelphia election officials emphasized that language accessibility has been a top priority in recent years, particularly with the introduction and expansion of Chinese-language ballots. Voters now have the option to use voting machines or mail ballots in Chinese, and informational materials are available in Traditional Chinese, with plans to expand into Simplified Chinese.
Philadelphia City Commissioners Seth Bluestein noted that bilingual interpreters are deployed at voting locations to help Spanish and Chinese-speaking voters, ensuring they can confidently cast their ballots. After each election, the commissioners analyze the use of multilingual ballots to determine where additional language resources may be needed, and they have pledged to publicly report this data following certification of election results. This approach ensures that resource allocation remains responsive to the needs of the community.
Philadelphia’s expansion of multilingual voting options reflects the city’s commitment to inclusivity and to meeting the needs of its diverse communities, enabling all voters to participate in the democratic process with confidence and ease.
