Michigan voters in two cities get Arabic language ballots

This election marks the first time voters in the cities of Dearborn and Hamtramck in Michigan have the option to cast ballots in Arabic. This is an important step for these cities known for their Arab communities in the state with the highest proportion of Arabs in the US.

"It's important that our democracy continue to be accessible and secure for every Michigan voter," said Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson in a public statement. 

"In a moment where there are so many efforts to divide and deter citizen engagement, it's inspiring to see Dearborn, Hamtramck and Wayne County leadership come together to show government can be responsive to citizens' needs and deliver results. Their work will directly help citizens in their communities be informed and engaged voters, and our state's democracy will be healthier as a result," Benson added. 

Abdullah Hammound, Dearborn's first Arab mayor, who was elected to office last year, celebrated the new ballots.

"This measure honours the fundamental ideal in our democracy: that it belongs to all of us, no matter our background, zip code, or native tongue," said Hammoud.

The city councils of Dearborn and Hamtramck passed resolutions earlier this year for Arabic-language ballots to be available for voters. They are far from the first governments to do so. California and New Jersey have had Arabic on their ballots for several years. Many states have multiple languages on their ballots, based on their residents' needs.

Arabic and other Middle Eastern languages, however, have experienced challenges in getting official status because language needs are often based on the latest census, which still designates those from the Middle East and North Africa as white.

So far, in early voting, it appears that only several dozen voters have used the Arabic ballots, according to local reports. However, an issue has already been spotted in Dearborn. One part of the ballot instructs voters to choose no more than one candidate. It should have read that they should choose no more than two candidates.

Though local news reports have described this as a typo, it appears that this is a factual mistake, as the words one and two in Arabic do not have the same letters.

Regardless, the mistake was caught and has been fixed for the few voters who have used those ballots.