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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Federal officials are no longer requiring Salt Lake County to offer voting assistance and ballots in Spanish because the county has fewer Spanish speakers with limited English proficiency.
The Salt Lake Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/2gYNiiC) the U.S. Census Bureau lifted the requirements on Salt Lake County Monday. The county had to been required to offer the assistance since 2011.
The U. requirements are based on complicated rules that look largely at whether 5 percent of all eligible voters in a county speak another language besides English and their English skills would make it difficult for a large part of that group to vote.
The Census Bureau estimates that 3.8 percent of Salt Lake County residents ages 5 and older do not speak English.
County clerk Sherrie Swensen says she's not sure if they'll keep offering Spanish ballots and help.
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