Election Translation Services
Maximizing voter turnout and ensuring that voters are informed is a top priority for anyone working in elections. With increasingly diverse communities around the United States, providing in-language support is crucial to engage, inform, and drive eligible voters to the polls on election day.
Each election cycle, too many Americans miss out on voting solely because of their limited English proficiency. Despite state and federal efforts to mandate language access at election time, many eligible voters are still faced with inadequate election translation services, leading to low engagement within multilingual communities. We believe that every citizen should have a right to make informed choices at the ballot box, no matter what their language is, and we are dedicated to helping you make this a reality.
Informed Voting in Any Language
You work tirelessly to ensure free, secure elections and to increase voter turnout at the polls. With so much on your plate, you need a language services partner who you can rely on for the quality, timely service you need to succeed and meet these goals. For nearly three decades, Avantpage has supported county and state elections offices across the country. We are a proud partner to more than half the counties in California, as well as to the diverse regions of Florida, Washington, and New York, among others.
Empower Voters Through Translations
Meet the needs of your voters by providing quality election translation services of the following:
- Candidate statements
- Voter Information Guides
- Ballots and sample ballots
- Election administration plans
- Measures
- Voting instructions
- Press releases
- Outreach materials
- Fact sheets
- Advertisments
- Social media
- Public notices
- Signage
- Schedules
- Webpages
After translation, these materials go through our standard desktop publishing process. This means that our multilingual designers format the translated documents to mirror the layout of the originals. This is critical for voter guides and ballots, which we provide in a final, print-ready version.
Other Ways To Build Voter Trust
During a busy election cycle, you may need help with more than written translation. We’ve helped offices across the country with a wide variety of other language services, including:
Interpreting Services for Elections
Our experienced interpreters are available for in-person and virtual assignments, allowing you to provide on-demand interpreting support to voters at polling locations, hotlines, or community outreach events.
Multilingual Engagement and Outreach
Multilingual outreach can help you reach more voters. From creating targeted campaigns and informational materials to offering interpreting for community events and forums, we can help you engage with LEP voters.
Evaluating Bilingual Poll Workers
Hiring bilingual poll workers helps LEP voters on election day. But assessing their qualifications can be challenging. We provide language assessment services to ensure effective communication at the polls.
We’ve Got You Covered
Our vast experience in this field has allowed us to understand the challenges and priorities of our elections clients. Getting ready for an election requires an extensive amount of coordination under extremely stringent timelines and we know that translation is just one piece of this. We have developed strategies and employed technologies to support the following:
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Meeting tight deadlines We understand the election calendar and boost our teams during election cycles.
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Ensuring quality Our linguists are trained on elections terminology and supported by glossaries and other translation technologies.
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Staying in budget Our translation memory technology helps keep costs down by reusing translations of repeated text.
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Working with printers Avantpage can work with your printing partner directly or through you. Our design team can provide print-ready ballots and voter guides in any language.
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Planning ahead Get ahead of the game by creating a language access plan or simply meet with us to discuss each upcoming cycle. Any information you can share regarding your language needs helps us prepare in advance of the work.
Client Testimonials
Struggling to engage LEP voters? See how one county succeeded.
Discover how a county elections office improved their results by creatively targeting LEP voters through effective translations and interpreting. Uncover their innovative strategies to enhance language access and ensure every voice counts.
Frequently Asked Questions About Election Translation Services
Why do election officials need to provide translated election materials?
Under the Voting Rights Act, certain jurisdictions are required by federal law to provide election materials in different languages. This ensures that language minority groups can fully participate in the electoral process without language being a barrier. Providing language assistance, like multilingual ballots, improves access and helps maximize voter turnout among eligible voters with limited English proficiency.
How do we know which languages are required in our jurisdiction?
The U.S. Census Bureau determines which jurisdictions are required to provide bilingual assistance based on population data. If a significant portion of the voting-age citizens in your precincts speak a language other than English such as Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Korean, Russian, Arabic, Hindi, or Bengali, your office may be required to provide translated voter registration forms, election information, and ballot materials.
What kinds of election materials should be translated?
Translated election materials should include, but are not limited to:
– Voter registration forms
– Sample ballots and actual ballots
– Voting instructions
– Polling place signage
– Notices of elections
– Information on the voting process and voter education campaigns
Clear and culturally appropriate translations ensure every voter has equal access to the election process.
Who enforces election translation requirements?
The Department of Justice (DOJ) oversees compliance with the Voting Rights Act. Failure to provide adequate language assistance and translated election materials can result in legal action. In many states, the Secretary of State plays a role in helping local election officials understand and comply with these requirements.
How does bilingual assistance work at polling places?
Bilingual assistance may include in-person language interpreters, translated signage, and multilingual instructions at each polling place. These services help voters navigate the voting process with confidence and are especially crucial in communities with diverse language needs.
What role does the Election Assistance Commission play?
The Election Assistance Commission (EAC) offers guidance and best practices for providing language access during elections. They help election officials implement efficient, compliant systems to support multilingual voters and streamline the election process across all jurisdictions.
How can translation services improve voter engagement?
Professional language translation supports broader voter education by making critical election information accessible to all eligible voters. When voters understand their rights and how to vote, they are more likely to participate in the electoral process, improving community engagement and trust in the system.
Why is it important to use professional translators?
Accurate translations of voting materials require more than fluency—they require a deep understanding of electoral terminology and cultural context. Professional translation helps prevent confusion and ensures compliance with federal standards, protecting the integrity of the election process.