SPRINGDALE (KFSM) -- Language barriers often discourage minority voters from voting, but a nonprofit hoped to change that Saturday (Nov. 5) with a Party at the Polls event in Springdale.
The Arkansas United Community Coalition (AUCC) held the event at Parsons Stadium where they encouraged naturalized citizens and first-time voters to vote by providing translation assistance to those who needed it.
The agency helped interpret and translate ballots in Spanish and Marshallese.
"Arkansas is an English-only state and the ballots are not in any other language," said AUCC Executive Director Mireya Reith, "We have a lot of new Arkansas voters who are excited to be citizens, but maybe don't have all the technical vocabulary."
AUCC will be offering translation and transportation assistance until Election Day.
Pew Research Center's projections show a record 27.3 million Latinos are eligible to cast ballots in 2016. That represents 12 percent of all eligible voters. In 2012, there were 23 million Hispanics who could vote.