U.S. English, Inc. Criticizes Culver for Breaking State Law

Secretary of State’s website is violation of official language statute

U.S. English, Inc. today joined several prominent Iowans in calling for current Iowa Secretary of State and gubernatorial candidate Chet Culver to observe the official English law passed by the state legislature in 2002. Culver, who has posted voting registration forms in Spanish, Laotian, Vietnamese and Bosnian on the secretary of state’s website, claims that the materials are consistent with the law’s exception to ‘comply with the United States Constitution or the Iowa Constitution.’

“Secretary of State Culver’s argument is legally shoddy and disingenuous,” said Mauro E. Mujica, Chairman of U.S. English, Inc. “The fact that he has apparently taken this step without seeking any legal advice shows a disturbing contempt for the law and the voters who approve the law through their elected representatives.”

Official English has become a hot issue in the Iowa gubernatorial election, with Culver stating that he would repeal the law if elected to the state’s highest office. His opponent, Rep. Jim Nussle, has said he supports the law and will work to promote English among the state’s growing immigrant population. A Sept. 2006 survey of 625 likely voters by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, Inc. found that 77 percent of Iowans support the law and want English to remain as the official language of the state.

“Candidate Chet Culver may disagree with the official English law and he can present that belief to the voters,” continued Mujica. “But as a constitutional officer, he cannot just ignore a law with which he disagrees. Voting is an important constitutional right, but there is no constitutional right to receive ballots and election materials in languages other than English. While the federal Voting Rights Act does require the provision of some materials in foreign languages, these provisions only come into play when the foreign-language speaking population of an area reaches certain numerical thresholds.”

According to Census 2000, less than three percent of Iowa’s population speaks Spanish, and more than half of these Spanish speakers are fluent in English. Meanwhile, the combined number of Iowans who speak Laotian, Vietnamese, and Bosnian would barely fill Carver-Hawkeye Arena at the University of Iowa.

“If Culver is interested in becoming governor, he needs to uphold the law, not define it on his own terms,” added Mujica. “Anything less suggests questions about his ability to follow the legislature’s directives in the future.”

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.