Keep Iowa’s Official English Law, Say Iowa Voters

Poll finds that more than three-in-four Iowans support common language measure

Despite calls for repeal by some candidates, more than three-quarters of Iowa voters stand behind the state’s four-year-old official English law, according to a recent poll by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, Inc. The survey found that 77 percent of Hawkeye State residents want the state to conduct business in English, including strong majorities within each political party. The survey of 625 likely voters was conducted Sept. 21-24, 2006 and has a margin of error of plus or minus four percent.

“The politicians that want to repeal Iowa’s official English law are out of touch with the voters of the state they want to represent,” said Mauro E. Mujica, Chairman of the Board of U.S. English, Inc. “Iowans are proud, not shamed, by their state’s position as a beacon of unity and growth through a common language. As the poll demonstrates, they have little interest in changing that position.”

Four years ago, Iowa became the 27th state with an official English law, calling upon the government to conduct business in English. With polls finding support among more than three-quarters of the population at that time, Gov. Tom Vilsack signed the measure into law in March 2002. Since that time, a handful of politicians and activists have tried to undo the action by the legislature.

The Mason-Dixon poll found that there is little public support for repeal in any area of the state. More than 80 percent of Iowans in the western part of the state supported this proposal, while support exceeded 75 percent in central Iowa and 70 percent in eastern Iowa. Similarly, support exceeded two-thirds of the voters among Democrats, Republicans and Independents.

“The key factor in selecting a candidate should be that individual’s receptiveness to will of the people,” continued Mujica. “Candidates who intend to repeal a measure supported by 77 percent of the voters need to answer serious questions about their commitment to the people they supposedly want to serve. Official English has been a win-win policy for Iowa’s people and Iowa’s immigrants, and I urge voters to elect candidates consistent with that vision.”

U.S. English, Inc. is the nation's oldest and largest non-partisan citizens' action group dedicated to preserving the unifying role of the English language in the United States. Founded in 1983 by the late Sen. S.I. Hayakawa of California, U.S. English, Inc. (www.usenglish.org) now has more than 1.8 million members.